Night Bloom
by EtoileBleue
Summary: She started to understand where she was. She didn't know how it was possible, but here she was, inside, or close to the Land of Wind, her favorite character was glaring straight at her, and he was trying to kill her. It was a waiting game...who will let go first...she was in deep, deep trouble. Abigail was on her very first trip to Japan with her friends, but Something went wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Late update! This is my first story guys! Please be patient with me!  
I have quite a few chapters ready, with few things to be edited...however, I came across a plot in the story, or rather, a character, that would be a big no no according to the guidelines. So I have to think of a way to change this character in a way that the plot still makes sense.

I just noticed that I have a few followers and a "Favorited" one...that makes me happy! If I can get at least 1 person to like it ... lol

Feel free to let me know how I can enhance "story telling" or any other technical stuff that I might not know. I have a lot of stories in my head, waiting to be put on paper, and learning how to do that here is pretty cool :)

Happy reading!

Update April 22!  
I fixed a few things that I should've fixed before, namely, separating the "change of scenes or change of timeline" so it is not so confusing ... thanks for one of my reviews for pointing that out! Lesson learned, i feel like I've leveled up since lol

For new readers, I hope you enjoy the story!  
For the present readers, thank you for your interest and suggestions! ^v^

Update July 18  
Sorry for the long wait! I had some inspiration issues! Like, "man why is this chapter so boring!" or "damn this doesn't make any sense!" issues haha, Got it rewritten now! All is good! Also I'm sorry, I know the switch of scenes are hard to follow...I thought I had it figured out and just noticed the edits I made to make those switch clear don't show up on the published product! Trying to figure out why or any other way I can effectively make those switch without making things confusing, hopefully I'll have this solved soon :)  
Thanks to the new followers! and the wonderful reviews I get!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Japan.

The land of the rising sun. The place that invented Sushi! The place of hot springs, Taiyaki and Samurais kicking butts and elegantly slicing heads off their opponents! Right now though, according to the news, it was presently the place where another earthquake took place.

She glanced at the TV hanging up high on the wall; the voice of the reporter was muffled by the customers all around her. She could only see the title at the bottom of the screen, moving from left to right:  
'ANOTHER STRANGE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN …'  
She didn't think too much of it. What was so strange about Japan getting earthquakes? This one wasn't even big; buildings were still standing, people were still walking around. The only strange thing was this reporter, reporting news about Japan getting another earthquake that didn't seem worth mentioning.

"Abigail? Hum ... Pumpkin Spice Latte and two blueberry muffins? For Abigail?"

She jumped and made her way towards the counter to get her latte and muffins, and walked away, towards the exit of the shop.

The university she attended was right across the street; but before she made her way there, she took a few steps towards an dirty looking, older man who seemed to be asleep on the corner of the street. She took one of the muffins and held it against his chest. The old man jumped, opened his eyes, and smiled with crooked teeth. He shyly took the treat and looked up at her.

"Oh! Here I was wonderin' if you'd come t'day!"

"Did you have breakfast yet?"

"No ma'am...got to the back of the restaurant down the road, but they turned me straight 'round, shoutin' at me" he said embarrassed. "Nobody likes people goin' around in their garbage," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that,"

"I heard them people t'day; 'tis your last day at the campus, right? Congrats!"

"Don't sweat it, sir, I'll still come look out for you from time to time," she smiled.

"Won't be staying in these parts for long," he said looking around. "Gotta move where I can keep warm, see?"  
She looked at the dirty blanket he was holding up. She wondered how long he would last. He told her once he was used to it ... the smell of the sewage hole; but at least, they were warm in the winter.

"Take care sir,"

She unzipped her jean jacket with her free hand and loosened the scarf around her neck. She walked two more steps and heard the chirping birds in her pocket, indicating an incoming text.  
She took a sip of her latte and looked at the text with her free hand; minding her pace towards the last class of the day. She smiled when she saw the text.  
_The last class of the year, _she thought.

Hazel had sent her a picture of a ninja, all dressed in black, holding a katana.

"Oh Hazy …", she laughed.

She pressed the mic key on the reply box.

"Everyone knows a real ninja wears a green jacket and a headband showing off his village's symbol!" she recorded before pressing the "send" button.

"_Whatever that means!" _she heard back in reply.

"I'll prove it to you when we all get there!"

"_Don't forget tomorrow!"_

"As if I could! Got to go ... I'm about to start class!"

She sat down at her usual spot looking down towards the center. The teacher didn't even bother opening her suitcase; not many students were present.  
This would be a short and sweet class.

_**Konoha, 4 days before the Earthquake**__._

_The Hokage's office was awkwardly silent. Kakashi was looking straight at Sakura who was staring at him in total disbelief. The shock on her face was expected, but the red tone she was acquiring was quite amusing; it made it hard for the Hokage to keep a straight face, which was usually easy for him to do. _

"_Sakura?"_

"_Eh ... I'm sorry Kakashi sen ... I mean, Lord sixth."_

"_Kakashi is good," interrupted the masked man behind the desk._

"_It's just … I thought I heard you say that you wanted me to go with Sasuke to the Land of Birds," she continued._

"_That's what he said," a voice replied from the shadows.  
Sakura shrieked and turned around to face Sasuke. _

"_Wh ... SASUKE?! You're back! When did you … ?" she couldn't contain her excitement._

"_Last night."_

"_I called him back; The Kazekage, Tsuchikage and I want to investigate a weird phenomenon that has been going on for some time now."_

"_What phenomenon? Wait ... could this have something to do with the tremors that have been felt for the past few days?" she asked._

"_You're sharp! Yes, it does."_

"_What's so worrisome about a few earthquakes? It's not like it's never happened before?"  
Sasuke came forward._

_"There must be something different about it if they are worried; The Land of Birds must be in the center of the issue if the three countries that surround it are concerned," concluded Sasuke._

"_Yes. The earthquakes seem normal to anybody, but according to the Tsuchikage, it does not come from the ground; however, the source seems to always be from the Land of Birds because it is where it seems to be the strongest. I want you, Sasuke and Sakura, to make your way to Amegakure; there you will meet with Kankuro. Together, you will go to the land of Birds and figure out what is going on. Lord __Ô__noki will be there to assist you. We'll find out the source of these "earthquakes" and decide if there's a need for action. Until then, we've got to be on guard."_

"_On guard of what?"_

"_We don't know what's causing these things...or who."_

_Sakura's eyes grew bigger._

"_You think people could actually be causing these earthquakes?" _

"_Or something ... To be honest, I've seen enough to know not to dismiss the unthinkable."_

"_Why send me with him? Not that I mind! But ... why not Naruto? Did you ask Shino? Surely his bugs could be of help searching the grounds for …" Sakura stopped to think for a moment. "Oh right ... if it isn't coming from the ground, then insects wouldn't be affected, unless we aren't sure that it isn't? How can this be though? Earthquakes always come from the movement of the earth's top layer ..." Sasuke went beside Sakura and interrupted her thoughts.  
_  
"_I asked him that it'd be you."_

_She turned to him with stars in her eyes._

"_You ... wanted 'me' to go with you?"_

"_Naruto is ... busy." _

_Expecting, was a more accurate word. Hinata was about 5 months in her pregnancy and Naruto was like a puppy following her everywhere. It was funny to see him so attentive to her. When they have learned the news, Naruto just kept running everywhere telling everyone who would listen: 'I'm gonna be a dad y'know?'"  
__Sasuke continued;_

_"I thought you'd be the most useful if we'd get injured, being a medical ninja and all."_

"_Oh ... right" she tried to hide her disappointment, but what did she expect? This love has always been a one-sided thing for her. She would never expect Sasuke to partner with someone for personal interest. It will always come down to strategy for the handsome Uchiha._

_But still, she smiled. She was happy!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Good morning!"

"Yes indeed!"

Matthew held on to his half yawn, visibly still sleepy...who the hell agrees to go shopping first thing in the morning? Him apparently. Hazel squeezed his shoulders affectionately and gave him a peck on his cheek. Sofia shook a shiver off and blew a strand of her long hair that stuck on her eyes.

"Here! Pumpkin Spice Latte for Aby, Macchiato for Matt, Matcha for Hazy…

"Ah...you are such a darling!"

"...Ice Latte for me…and," her hand searched through her purse.

"Ah! And an official key to the gate of the rising sun!"

"I'm gonna go ahead and assume you're talking about our flight boarding passes," said Matthew, while they crossed the empty street.

"Well...not quite. That's the online booking only...boarding passes will be given to us tomorrow, at the Airport," explained Sofia. She then turned around to face the wind, so she could drink without getting her long ombre teal hair in the way. Aby did the same, while Hazel braided her shoulder-length, dirty blond hair.

Hazel was always like a big sister to her...randomly doing sisterly stuff like that. Abigail didn't mind. She kept on drinking her latte while Matt was holding Hazel's tea, drinking his own with the other hand.

"I like the hair by the way!" she said to Sofia.

"You know the drill," she answered smiling.

"Last time was pink," pointed Hazel.

"The one before was black," said Matthew.

"How are you feeling?" asked Abigail, with a concerned look.

"It's not my first breakup…"

"I wouldn't think it gets easier though…" Aby replied.

"Nahhh that one was a jerk. I mean, I was a little upset, but I saw it coming."

Abigail watched her friend drink her ice latte, smiling. She couldn't quite understand how Sofia managed to smile after a breakup. She had no experience whatsoever in relationships...but she saw all kinds of different responses to breakups all around her. She didn't think she would be the kind to move on so quickly.  
She brought her booking confirmation copy to her nose.

"Mmmm guys, this smell like Japan!"

"Does it? It smells like paper to me," Matthew said.

"So, what are we going to buy first?" Sofia asked while picking up a vibrant red maple leaf on the sidewalk.

"Hum...I guess it will be a suitcase for me; since there is a store right there! I've never seen it before, it must be new!" Aby said, pointing to the shop across the street.

"You still don't have your suitcase?!" Matt looked at her, bewildered. He handed Hazel's tea back and talked louder to cover the noise of the passing garbage truck.  
"Aby! We're leaving tomorrow! How can you not be packed yet?"

"I am! Kind of...I just have to put my things in...that suitcase right there," she pointed to the black suitcase covered with daisies in the shop window. They jaywalked quickly between the cars who were stopped for the red light, a few meters away. Matt reached last.

"I just need a hoodie or two," he said, ignoring Aby's lack of organisation.

"I'll buy those in Japan as souvenirs!" added Hazel with excitement as they made their way into the store.

"Everything is small in Japan, they might not fit you!" he teased her. "Owwww!"

"If anything," started Abigail, "I'll probably come back with all kinds of cutesy stuff full of colorful glitter."

"Girls…" he mumbled while rolling his eyes.

A young man with slick black hair waved at them from behind the cash register; big round earphones were covering his ears and he was drumming his fingers on the counter following the rhythm of the music. The store smelled like leather and was crowded with backpacks, purses, and suitcases of every size. But these were different than your normal Bentley and Luggage City stores. The designs looked different. A huge sign above a wall of purses read "HANDMADE". Some were simple, others had very intricate details.

_How pretty!_ thought Abigail.

"Hey Aby! Let's get some condoms!"

She choked on her latte and nearly spilled some on the luggage she was looking at. They all chuckled at her reaction, except for Hazel.

Aby glared at Sofia, wiping the latte from her chin with her sleeve.

"What?" she teased, "you never know! You might get your big break there!"

Aby kept her focus on the suitcase, visibly uncomfortable with the subject. She loved Sofia, but her teasing about sex was always getting out of hand. She knew she didn't mean to bully her, on the contrary, it was probably to help her loosen up a little; Sofia was a free spirit, but Aby was a tense one; and she felt ashamed and embarrassed, like an outcast who never had sex before. This was unheard of at her age. But more important was the reason for it: she was very uncomfortable with guys in general; and therefore, very awkward, which is not sexy nor pretty nor cute...

Hazel gave Sofia a disapproving look.

"You know how she feels about that!" Hazel said, as she was going through the small leather backpacks, "and they don't sell that in here!" she added with a smirk.

"Aww, she knows I'm just teasing her!" She winked and gave her a quick hug. "Besides," she whispered, "I need it more than you do."

"Will you shut it?" Aby muttered. She gestured toward the cashier who was pretending to mind his own business.

"It's not funny!"

She shyly dragged the luggage she picked to the cashier...he pretended not to listen to their conversation, but the smirk he wore on his face gave him up. She avoided eye contact and realized he was waiting for the payment. She felt a rush of heat rise to her cheeks and gave him her credit card. Her friends watched as he handed over the suitcase.

He smiled at her.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Japan"

"That's cool! I'm from there! You'll like it!"

"Oh! Nice! Any advice?" Hazel asked, excited.

"Hum...well, don't litter, don't eat or drink while walking on the street or sidewalk; better do that while staying at the hotel or at the restaurant. Oh! And if you take public transportation don't be loud...and put the phone down,"

They all stared at him, not sure if he was joking or being serious.

"And also, learn a few words...people over there will appreciate the effort; respect of others are very important over there as well as respect of oneself," he glanced at Sofia with a smirk.

"Ugh, so I guess condoms would be a waste of money then?" Sofia said, elbows on the counter and her chin resting in her hand. The cashier instantly looked at Abigail, her face turned crimson. She turned around so fast, her braided brown hair slapped her in the face.

"Excuse me, miss?"

She looked back, expecting a receipt she might have forgotten.

"Are you sure you don't need a wallet? They are 30% off right now,"

He picked a deep red one in the pile on his left and waved it back and forth.

"That one matches your face," he said with a grin. You can also hide...you know...small stuff," he added, winking at Sofia who burst out laughing, but stopped when she saw Abigail's blank stare. She wanted to say something but was too angry and embarrassed. The more the seconds passed, the more she felt stupid, empty and awkward. She just turned around and walked out, her head down.

Everyone she knew had a relationship at some point, and experienced...physical stuff...

She did not.

She never even went on a date! She dreamed of some magical romantic encounter, naturally; she was always, secretly, looking for romance in movies, mangas and novels, but was so afraid to admit it. People, for some reasons, always rolled their eyes at romance, and so, rolled their eyes at her. She was just the awkward girl with her head in the clouds.

She concluded that romance was not real life...and players were feeding on that. That is what she was so afraid of: betrayal; Manipulation; A broken heart;

And this nonsensical fear affected her social life. She had been bullied a lot in high school because of that; The lack of trust that followed since, ruined all her chances. Now, that good looking guy, was in on the mockery too.

However, if he ever thought it was funny, he was no longer smiling.  
He only wanted to join in on the tease a little, but now it all felt very wrong. Matt waved his hand as if to say _don't worry about it_.

Aby just walked out with a blank face. The day was ruined because of her.

She hated herself.

"I'm sorry," she said when they got outside. She tossed her empty cup in the trash by the road. "I got what I need for the trip...I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Look Abigail, I'm sorry...I know you're sensitive to those things, and I realize that I went a little far but...aren't you overreacting a little?"

"Ha? Oh no...I'm just a little tired all of a sudden, and I have to pack too!"

They stared back, unconvinced.

"It's not even 10 O'Clock."

"You guys wouldn't understand, ok?" she sighed in frustration. "That guy even less! Look, I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"Wouldn't understand?! That's not fair!" said Hazel, following closely.

"Come on Aby! It wasn't that big of a deal! We're going to Japan tomorrow! Happy time! Happy time!" said Matthew.

"Miss, wait! Let me apologize!"

The same guy took them by surprise as he came running towards Aby. He had something in his hands. He bowed so low that it was embarrassing to watch.

"Huh..."

"I'm very, very sorry!" He said out of breath. "I was completely out of line. It's just...You all seemed so friendly and were enjoying yourselves; when I saw you blushing, I thought you were very cute...so…I'm so sorry!"

Aby stiffened, _did he just say I was cute?_

"Oh Crap…" he looked suddenly panicked. "Now that I look back, it almost sounded like sexual harassment…jeez!"

Matt snickered at the words. The guy stretched out his hands with a small leather purse; pink with yellow daisies on it.

"Please accept this as an apology."

Abigail slowly took the purse from his hands and he smiled with relief.

"Thank you,"

"It's the least I can do!", he said, still smiling. There was an awkward pause. "Right, I should go back...Oh! By the way, if you guys are planning to go to Hakone, be careful! There have been a few earthquakes recently, they think it could be the Volcano!"

"Huh, ok..."

"There is a volcano in Japan?!" Sofia whispered towards Matt who nodded.

"I truly hope you enjoy your time!"

He walked back inside, still smiling at her. Then she remembered her friends. She turned around and saw them smiling.

...

Abigail's grandmother stretched her frail arm over the old crocheted table cloth to offer the bread she had baked earlier. She happily hummed a tune as she took the bread in the center of the old wooden table.

_My very first flight!..and to Japan of all places!_

She was still surprised her grandma was able to help her pay for it. She didn't even know where she found the money, but she was so grateful.

"Are you all packed?" she asked as Aby cut a slice of bread.

"You bet!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeshh" she said with a mouthful.

"Did you check off your list?"

"Yeshh!"

"And how about planning for….you know?"

Aby stopped chewing on her bread.

"And you know how to use them?"

Now she froze, her eyes fixed on her grandmother's face.

"And bring plenty of 'em! You don't want to ruin your trip because of that. I mean, I'm sure you can find some in the stores, but just in case you can't find any on the spot, you always want to have at least one on you..."

"...What are you talking about?!"

"Well, you know...every month?" she whispered, as if it was some outrageous secret.

"Granny!" Abigail sighed, with the sudden realization. "You!...why wouldn't I know how to use that?! My first period was a long time ago! Jeez…" Aby mumbled.

"I thought you were speaking of...oh never mind!"

She stood up to clear the old wooden table and made her way towards the dishwasher, mumbling some more.

"You scared me for a minute".

"Why? What did you think I was speaking of?"

She looked at her confused face and gave a gentle smile.

"Nothing Gran." she said, looking at her from the kitchen. "They're not due until the end of the month…"

She walked around the island to clean the table. "Dinner was yummy Gran, thank you."

Her grandmother smiled back.

"You're welcome dear...however, those brocolis were horrible! So bitter! I'm not sure what I did wrong…"

"Those were Rapinis, Gran," she explained laughing. "I think they're, like, italian brocolis or something. They taste bitter but they're pretty good for you!"

"Oh dear! That is why they looked different! hahaha"

Aby loved her grandma's laugh. It was so gentle and hearty at the same time. Her grandma wiped the tears from her eyes as she kept laughing at her own silliness.

"Are you gonna be OK for two weeks by yourself, Gran?"

Her grandmother's petite figure looked out the window.

"Ohhh, I'm gonna go out there and get myself a boyfriend," she said in a dreamy voice, then burst out laughing when she saw her granddaughter's face.

"I was just kidding dear! I never went to Japan, you know? Do not forget to take a lot of photos for me!"

Her grandmother never went anywhere; she always contented herself with what she had and never complained. Aby studied her with a gentle smile. She wasn't sure how one person could spend a whole life without going out of the country. She even wondered if she ever went out of Maine...Surely she did when she was younger?

"Will do. Did anything come in the mail for me?"

"Oh! Yes!"

Her luggage was so shiny! She loved it!

"You and me, we are going to start this journey together and visit many countries! This will be the first one! Do not fail me!"  
The new black luggage with the pearly white and yellow daisies on it, obviously, did not answer her. She wrapped a pink ribbon around the handle, like her grandma suggested; "_in case someone else has the same one"_. She thought the idea pretty clever.

She sat on the bed and started opening the little beaten up box that came in the mail; then removed the bubble wrap to uncover the little treasure: a little Chibi Gaara on a key-chain, hugging his huge sand gourd and looking at her with his big shiny green eyes. Her favorite Character in the Naruto franchise. She meant to hook it on the backpack, but then changed her mind...She grabbed the purse the cashier gave her earlier.

_That cashier needs a name_, she thought. _I'll call him...Kiyo_.

She hooked the little Gaara on the purse, and stroked its clay hair. It was cheaply made, but it was still cute.

It won't be strange, right? If grown up ass people can cosplay as their favorite anime character, surely it would be reasonable for a 22 year old girl to have a chibi Gaara key-chain on her purse? Japan will know this character anyway; it will be a wonderful tribute to their manga writers!

Only a handful of college students did that here...but there were usually not little anime characters...there were more like fluffy fur balls or jewelry type key-chains. Hazel had some purple crystals on hers; Sophia had a little skater figure.  
"_Who cares if you put it on your backpack, Aby? It's who you are, you know? It's you!" _she said two months ago, when they saw it on Alibaba.  
She smiled, put her purse on her luggage and went to sleep.  
In just a few hours, her and her friends would be on a 14 hour flight, heading to Japan.

...

_**Konoha, 3 days before the Earthquake **_

"_So you guys are going on a mission together huh?"_

_Hinata slowly made her way to the table, carrying a tea set they had gotten for their wedding a year prior. She loved to use it when she had guests over. She distributed the cups and poured the tea; Her cup was already filled with a different kind._

"_Thanks Hinata." Naruto said._

"_That smells good! Is this mint?" asked Sakura, pointing at Hinata's cup._

"_Um yes" she answered while slightly blushing. "It helps me with morning sickness" _

_She sat down, slowly._

"_Are you alright?" Asked Naruto, concerned._

"_Hm. Just a little dizzy…"_

"_It's been pretty bad on you lately; the nausea and all." _

_Naruto stood up and quickly walked to the kitchen. "I'll make you a sandwich!" _

_She smiled, grateful._

_Sakura watched Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. He was staring at Naruto, in deep thoughts._

"_Naruto sure changed a lot, huh?" she said, as if reading his mind. "You sure make a good and loving husband Naruto!" _

"_Well I have to grow up y'know? I'm gonna be a dad after all...Ahhh!"_

_Naruto shook his hand._

"_Oh Naruto! Did you cut yourself?"_

_Before Hinata could stand up, Sakura was already pushing her back down onto the chair._

"_Sit lady! Seriously Naruto, how did you even become the hero of the village? You can't even work a kitchen knife?" she teased him while joining him in the kitchen._

"_I missed it," said Sasuke. "The growing up part, I mean." _

_They all turned to him; and for a moment, there was silence. _

"_I missed a lot of things..."_

"_You can't change the past, Sasuke; you have no control over it. But you can at least look to the future! Forget about it and look to that future, okay? Who knows, y'know, one day you might even be in my shoes and having to take care of your wife and kids!" _

_Naruto instantly regretted those last words. Not because they were not true, but because of Sakura. She held her head down, pretending to focus on the superficial cut on his finger. He watched her from the corner of his eyes. He knew she had deep feelings for Sasuke; everybody knew it, including Sasuke! But how he felt in return was unclear, even to himself. He had been in a dark place for too long, and, although Sakura held a special place in his heart, he wasn't sure he could ever feel 'that way' towards her...or anybody. Sasuke nervously shook his leg. Now the atmosphere just became awkward. _

"_By 'in your shoes', you mean taking your wife and taking care of your kids?"_

_Sakura snorted while Hinata gracefully contained a giggle._

"_WHA?...HEY! I wasn't being literal you idiot! I was speaking figuratively! Taking my wife?! Over my dead..." A tremor shook the house and made glasses and plates clinking for a few seconds. _

"_Another one," said Hinata, taking a sip of her tea once it was over._

"_That one was bigger,'' Naruto looked at Hinata. "It's getting weird; I'm wondering if we should start to worry."_

"_Kakashi sensei seems to think so…" said Sakura without thinking. She brought Hinata her sandwich._

"_The Hokage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage seem to think that the Land of Birds is the epicenter...although not really, since it is not coming from the ground"_

"_What? Aren't earthquakes always from the ground?" asked Naruto._

"_That's what we need to find out. Earthquakes are the results of tectonic plates moving around and rubbing and overlapping each other. But Iwagakure geologists said that those plates have not been moving that much...Whatever it is, it's definitely coming from the Land of Birds, but not from the underground," said Sasuke._

" _I'm going with Sasuke to assist, in case of injuries; I can heal people quickly! I feel very happy that you thought of me for this purpose!" Sakura said, turning to Sasuke. "Thank you for trusting me!"_

_'And thank you for keeping your promise,' she thought to herself. "maybe next time" he said two years ago, when he left the village to atone for his sins. _

"_Man! I wish I could come too! Then it would be like good old times! Team 7 is united at last!"_

"_Guys," suddenly said Hinata. "I'm very sorry, but I can barely keep my eyes open. This child-bearing thing is so exhausting...I really need to go lie down. Please, forgive me!"_

"_Oh dear! Hinata, we should be the ones to apologize! Of course you need to rest! We'll be on our way!"_

"_Oh no! Please stay! You do not have to leave because of me! I was just gonna go lie down! I would hate to interrupt your reunion with Naruto, especially with you Sasuke-sama! You are not in the village very often. You have a lot to talk about!"_"_No, no. We really need to get going anyway. We have a long road ahead and need to prepare accordingly. This is going to be...troublesome. I have a funny feeling," said Sasuke._"_Please Naruto, watch over her!"  
Sakura helped Hinata stand up and handed her to Naruto._

"_You bet!" He gave a thumbs up. "You two, be careful okay?" _

"_Will do!" __Sakura gave the thumbs-up back.  
__  
Sasuke stood up and bowed before the expecting lady.  
_"_Take care, Hinata."_

_She smiled in response._

_They both went down the road to part for the night. Sakura looked up to her partner._

"_Hey Sasuke," she said while blushing a little. "You know, if you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay at my place for tonight, we can leave together in the morning?"_

"_No need, but thank you. Kakashi also offered for me to stay at his place when I came back, but I went where I used to live. I'll do the same tonight." _

_She looked at him surprised. The village was destroyed because of Pain, before the fourth great ninja war. It was rebuilt, but the Uchiha village was not. It was not erased completely, but was never fixed up since no Uchiha ever survived...except for Sasuke; and at the time, nobody ever thought he would be back. That thought brought back bad memories. Sakura shook them away._

"_Sasuke, were you...able to fix up your house?"_"_Not really, I didn't really have the time yet, since I've been away." _

_Sakura suddenly felt guilty. Why hasn't no one help him with that? Sasuke studied her, as if reading her mind.  
_"_That is my responsibility. I made a mess of my life, I need to clean it up."_

_They kept walking on, side by side._

"_Where are you going?" he asked her, as she kept going his way, "Your place is that way, no?"_"_Oh...yeah." _

_She thought he would appreciate her company, but in reality, it was she who was appreciating his. "Well...good night Sasuke!"  
_"_Good night." _

_He watched her turning the corner and for a moment, wondered if he should have brought her home. Nah...Sakura definitely did not need protection. _

_He walked towards what was left of his clan district. He jumped over beams that were taken over by vines and vegetation. The completely destroyed houses were all ruins and memories of Yesterdays. Young trees were growing from inside the houses and birds have made their nests on the windowsills. He turned the same corner he used to take when he was young. A piece of metal cable, hanging from the wall took hold of his dark grey cloak. He stared at it blankly and yanked it free. It was a depressing sight. He reached his house and went inside through the window; the door was obstructed by some boulders and tree branches intertwined. He looked on the floor where his parents once laid, lifeless. He was sure he could still see their silhouettes on the ground. He shook the feeling and buried it somewhere in his mind. After all this time, one would think he would come to peace with it..._

_He reached the far end of the house and turned right at the back. He slid the door as far as it would go, which wasn't very far, and went into what used to be his room. The window was broken, but he didn't mind. It was like sleeping out in the forest, but with a partial roof over him. He let himself fall on the mat. He obviously outgrew it since. But it was better than nothing. He threw his satchel on the floor and looked out the window. He could see the moon, and some clouds passing in front of it. Then he looked at the ceiling; surprisingly, there were very few spider webs, but some cockroaches and moths walked around. He saw them last night too; didn't mind them too much. For some reason, nothing really bothered him, except, well...  
everything._

_Sakura was already in bed when she heard something hitting her window. She ignored it a couple of times, but opened her eyes the third time, annoyed.  
"What the heck is that?" she thought. She remembered when Naruto used to throw rocks at her window once when they had to go on a mission in the middle of the night. She got up and opened the window; expecting to see Naruto, but was startled by the person standing down below._

"_Sasuke!? Is everything ok?"_

_It took him a few seconds to answer. He mumbled something she couldn't make out._

"_What?"_"_I...don't like cockroaches." _

_Sakura studied him from the window._

"_Ok, I'm coming down." She closed the window and went downstairs. She knew it wasn't the cockroaches. If it was her, she thought, she would find it depressing there, in a ruin, full of painful memories. She was glad that he came to her. She let him in quietly. It was late and her parents were sleeping. She boiled some water to make chamomile tea, and quickly fixed some bed sheets, a blanket and a cushion on the couch._"_Oh, don't worry about it, I can sleep on the floor, I'm dirty, didn't have a shower for a while."_"_Don't be stupid!" she smiled. "Shinobis do not need showers," she said, imitating Kakashi; long ago when they were on a mission, Sakura had complained about not having taken a shower for days. He replied the exact same words._

"_You can take one tomorrow morning though; before we leave. Here, take this; it'll help you sleep."_

_She handed the chamomile tea to him. Then headed back towards the stairs that led to her room.  
_

"_Hey Sakura?" She turned back to look at him. "It won't bother your parents? That I'm here I mean." Sakura smiled. "You are a war hero now. They will be honored." He looked down at his cup.  
She walked back to him and put her small hand on his shoulder. "The past doesn't matter Sasuke; Naruto was right...what matters it what's in front of you." _

_He looked at her with an unimpressed look._

"_Are you flirting with me, again?"_"_Huh?!"  
She realized, two seconds too late, that she was standing "in front of him". She removed her hand quickly._"_No! I meant the future, you idiot! I meant 'the future' is what matters!"_"_So you're saying you're my future?" _

_She paused for a second...the thought of it was sweet, then she violently shook her head._

"_Arrg...just go to sleep already!"_

_She ran up the stairs two by two._

"_Seriously! What would be the big deal anyway? I'm sure I could make a wonderful future for him." She entered her bedroom and closed the door. She couldn't help but smile._"_Sasuke is in my house, hihi!"_

_Just then, a little tremor was felt in the house, again._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_This is so stressful!_

She was trying to put her shoes back on...people quickly getting their belongings from the bins as others were pushing forward through the metal detectors. She grabbed her backpack and her tablet, held her phone in her mouth and jumped on one foot, with her left shoe in her right hand...heading towards a place away from the traffic of the customs.

"Still have an hour and a half left before boarding," said Sofia.

They all made their way towards the gates. There were men in suits, talking on the phone, children dancing around while others excitedly pointed at the planes near the gates outside. There were people trying to nap while waiting to board; some magazines covering their sleepy heads. Aby nearly bumped into what she thought could have been a pilot. He simply gave her a polite greeting nod and walked on, followed by some flight attendants, smiling and chit chatting.

"Look guys! They're selling cute little kitty neck pillows!" Aby looked to the left, where Sofia was pointing.

"Oh, duty free?"

"Still expensive. Oh! Cool headphones!"

While Matt went to look at the Bluetooth headphones, Aby went to get a coffee. She looked out the window to see a huge plane make its way to its gate. She was awed by the size of it! She's never seen one up close before.

"Guys! Gate F76, it's right over there!"

Two young women were sitting by the gate, one wearing a thick blue and yellow cotton mask over her mouth. Was she sick? They were watching something on a cell phone, focused and frowning.

"Apparently, Tokyo is so clean, you could eat off the street!" she heard Hazel say.

"But Kiyo said not to eat or drink on the street though" Aby retorted.

"Kiyo?" She pointed to her newly acquired free pink purse, "You named him Kiyo?" laughed Hazel.

"I can't keep referring to him as 'the guy who sold me my luggage,'" she answered. That made Sofia giggle.

"So you ARE going to keep 'referring' to him?"

Hazel sat between them, putting her backpack on the table, resting her hand under her chin.

"It seems Mr. 'Kiyo' made some 'impressions' on missus!" she teased.

"Well, I can't forget about him; he's been a jerk."

"Oh honey, not only it wasn't that bad, but he even came out and apologized; with a gift!"

"I've never heard of staff going through that trouble, maybe he's got the hots for you." added Matt, casually, looking down on his phone.

"Ohhhh! Say! He might have gotten into trouble for giving you that purse for free!" said Sofia who's eyes grew larger.

"Nah, that was probably a cheap one, or one that couldn't sell, or something," she answered, putting down her coffee on the table and running her fingers on the surface of the purse. She brought it to her nose. "It does smell like leather though...That can't be real leather, right?"

"Didn't you see the price tag?"

"He must have removed it before he gave it to me" She laughed, "the tag wasn't on it!" Aby looked at it some more. "But It's OK, I like it, plus it was very nice of him to apologize that way."

"You realize that he gave you a purse with daisies on it right?" said Matthew. "He saw that you purchased a suitcase covered with flowers, thought you liked cute flower stuff, so chose a pink purse with flowers on it...he actually thought about it!"

"Nah...I don't think it means anything."

"Well, he could've chosen the first cheap one he could find, but he chose that one specifically!"

"I think you're overthinking this." Aby said to Matt, smiling.

"You should totally go see him when we get back!" Sofia said. Aby looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

"You should! He was such a cutie!"

"He did say that I was cute," she smiled, "well, I guess he was kinda cute too. Especially when he apologized." Sofia caught her thinking while playing with her cup, smiling.

"So?" She said with a smirk. "ARE YOU going to go see him when we come back?" She was all smiles, while playing with her backpack charm. The figure staking charm was no longer there.

"Hey! You got yourself a Sakura key-chain?!"

"Oh! Is that her name? I thought she looked bad ass with her pink hair and her knives. I saw her while you were looking at purchasing that creepy guy key-chain."

"His name is Gaara; and those "knives" are called kunais," she explained, bringing her chair closer to Sofia's. People started crowding around their area. "Yes, she is cool...but this guy is better!" she continued, pointing to her little Gaara on her purse. "Oh look! Our plane is here! I'm so excited!"

"Oh, Gaara!" Matthew put his phone down and looked at the key-chain. "I didn't know you liked Naruto! How come I didn't notice the little guy on your purse before?"

"Well, OK it's kinda cute," continued Sofia, "but what's up with the eyes anyway?" Aby assumed she was referring to the black around his green eyes.

"Insomnia" she answered. "But I think at this point it has to be makeup, to keep the fierce appearance, you know?" The girls had no idea what she was talking about.

"What do you mean 'at this point'?"

"Well he doesn't have Shukaku anymore...so he's able to sleep now. But that is just my theory."

"_Choukakou_? Who's that? His puppy?"

But before she could answer, Matt started arguing that maybe he was so long with Shukaku that the dark rings became a permanent thing. They started to debate about the anime and manga, until they heard a voice echoing throughout the terminal.

"_Attention passengers of flight number 183, in direction of Tokyo. Gate F76 will now open for boarding."_

This trip is going to be awesome!

...

_**Konoha, 20 hours before the Earthquake**_

_Sakura slept soundly her back lit by the campfire, covered with her traveling cloak. The fire crackling with the burning wood always soothed her spirit. She loved to sleep under the moon. The woods always smelled sweet and fresh. She felt at peace, away from the village, the smell of the street food and the chaos of the community...Moreover, now she was alone with Sasuke, presently unaware of his gaze upon her._

_He looked at her, while teasing the logs in the fire to keep it going. He put down his kunai and brought up his cloak higher to his neck, with his right arm; the only arm. Looking at it, it brought back a bittersweet memory. He went from the agony of his vengeful soul, to a sudden relief of the burden. He felt free._

_He lost so much blood that day; so did Naruto. If it wasn't for Sakura, they would have both bled to death. He looked at her again. He wondered how she could trust him after all this time. In fact, he wondered how the village was so forgiving. He had wronged them for such a long time._

_It must have been Naruto...the effect he had on anyone was a power more formidable than any jutsu; some people came to trust his judgement blindly…which was not a very smart thing to do, he thought with a smile. However, SHE was definitely the puzzling one._

_"I tried to kill her," He thought, "and I would definitely have if it wasn't for Naruto! I hurt her in so many ways, saw her cry so many times; how can she sleep so soundly, without even an ounce of doubt, or mistrust?"_

_But if she did, she never let it show. She just followed without a word, or without whining. She always cooked and cleaned her tools with a gentle smile. She did not even ask about his time alone by himself; she was just there, as if nothing happened before, as if he was always a part of team 7. He was very grateful for that, but still..._

"_What is she thinking?!" he thought._

_He looked at the dancing fire, like in a trance. She looked a little different now. She was a little taller than when they were kids, and more confident too, that confidence shown on her mature face. She was much stronger as well. He sat closer to her, close enough to hear her breathing. He brought her cloak higher up on her shoulder. Her skin looked pale under the moonlight._

_He sighed. "What else did I miss?"_

_He gently moved a strand of hair from her face, revealing the small diamond shaped mark on her forehead. She frowned a little, but did not wake. Her hair was very soft and thin. "She is pretty," he thought, "very pretty". But this wasn't something new. He turned away from her and closed his eyes. He drifted asleep, but not before noticing that beside her breathing, there was nothing else...no other sound. Where did the crickets go? The night was still, but way too quiet. Something is going on. The calm before the storm…_

_..._

The view from the cable car was magnificent! They truly felt as if they were in a different world. The Earth had so many treasures to show; Aby felt one couldn't go through life without discovering all the wonders of the planet!

"Woah, Oh look! You can see the steam coming out!"

"Where?!"

"Right there!"

"You Guys realize that if that thing goes off, we're screwed, right?"

Sofia was very anxious to leave the cable car. That volcano was still active and they all wanted to see it. If they were lucky, they'd be able to see Mt. Fuji! However, the mountain was hiding behind the clouds.

"I really want to stop at the springs later,". said Hazel, ignoring her.

"We'll go there tonight" Matt said, winking at her; they shared a smile that Aby pretended not to notice.

"Assuming the volcano doesn't kill us first!" Sofia said.

"I hope we can see the stars from the springs," Aby said, dreaming. She was busy taking pictures with her phone. She noticed another couple was busy looking at a video on their own phone, instead of enjoying the view, which she thought was odd.

"The volcano is not out to get you Sofia!" said Matthew.

"Volcanoes do not need our permission to explode though," Aby said, teasing her. "I am a little curious though; remember what Kiyo said about the earthquakes and this place being the cause of it?"

"Nahhh...I don't buy it," said Matthew. "They would have closed down this place if it was dangerous".

"You would think," nervously replied Sofia.

They went on with their little excursion around the lake and even took a boat back to the beginning of the excursion's location. It had a beautiful decorative dragon surrounding it. Hazel laughed at the "tourist trap" while Aby and Matt took pictures with the boat once docked.  
Abigail loved dragons. They were all wise and powerful, and full of magic...and glitter! Anything with bright and shiny colors was attractive to her.

They were still "jet lagged" and started to show signs of exhaustion. They took the train back to one of the hot springs where they would stay for the night, but not before getting a few of those fish Taiyaki. They also had purchased those deliciously enticing roasted chestnuts.  
The train was also fun to ride; it went up the mountain, then down; back and forth...quite an interesting system of transportation from Tokyo to Hakone.

One of Aby's favorite attractions was about to take place. She always wanted to try those hot springs that were mentioned in so many manga and anime. They entered the hot spring hotel at last and gathered their backpacks and snacks in their respective rooms before heading to the actual springs. Hazel and Matthew had their own room, while Aby and Sofia were sharing another one, across from their friends. The lady who was running the hot springs told them that the food could be served anytime before 9 pm, and suggested going to the springs before then, since there was little time left until they closed it for the night.

Sofia and Abigail were the first ones to go in. They washed and made their way to the hot pool, holding a tiny towel against their chest; this rule of needing to be naked to go in took Aby by surprise, but she wasn't going to let that rule deter her to experience an Onsen. The pools were separated by gender, at least.

It was awesome! Lush greens all around, natural rocks and waterfalls. No wonder it was the most popular destination to whine down. Looking at the hardworking lifestyle of the Japanese, they sure needed it more than them, North-Americans.

The steaming water and the soft sound of the waterfall was so relaxing. They were talking about the highlights of the trip when a slim, beautiful local lady, who was there before them, gracefully rose from the water to leave, not bothered one bit by the fact that she was completely naked. She looked at them with a smile and tapped on an imaginary watch and brought both hands to her head. Aby nodded and bowed politely, once again, self-conscious by the sight of the naked woman. She was not used to this. she shyly looked to Sofia.

"I think she was trying to say to mind our time in the water, as staying in the hot water for too long could be dangerous."

"Right!" nodded Sofia.

"Where are the stars?"

"Maybe we are not far enough from the city. What's with you and the stars? We have them in Maine too, you know?"

"I've never seen them...I mean, you know? When you go camping, you see a sky full of them? I never went so…"

"You know what else you see when you go camping? Mosquitoes, and ticks"  
Sofia glanced at Aby with a smirk, "you know, the tiny little spiders that attach to you and suck your blood and give you diseases?"

Aby shivered. She did not like spiders...at all.

"Where the hell is Hazy?!" asked Sofia.

"Hum...it is a very romantic place for couples...maybe we should leave them be for now?" Aby answered, her eyes closed while enjoying the steaming water.

Sofia observed her with complicity.

"So you do understand a thing or two!" she said, smiling.

Aby blushed and shrugged her shoulders.  
"But", she continued, "we only have a few hours tonight to…"

Just then, the waterfall seemed to have run out of water; which was odd since it was a natural waterfall. They stared at it in silence and suddenly felt their surroundings shaking. There was a low, deep sound, like a growl or grinding, surrounding them. The foliage was going crazy, like a huge animal that was hiding in the forest and making the trees and bushes move violently. The water was also agitated. The lights around them flickered for a few seconds, before going out. Then, silence.

The lights turned back on and the waterfall came back to life at last. Crickets could be heard and they heard an owl hoot twice. Sofia and Aby looked at each other, puzzled, as the rippling water of the small pool slowly calmed.

Everything was back to normal, as if nothing happened.

"What the hell was that?" Sofia asked.

"I don't know, but that was creepy, do you think that was one of these earthquakes?"

"I don't know...I experienced a small one before but it wasn't like that…"

"OK, I think we should go."

"Yeah...there's a T-Rex in the forest about to jump out and eat us, I'm sure of it!"

They went back inside to change, put on their kimonos in this new eerie atmosphere and headed towards the front desk to ask about dinner. Hazel and Matt were already going there; they greeted each other and turned towards the lady owner who was talking to a younger tall man, seemingly upset about something. The man, upon looking their way, gasped when he saw them.

"Holy cow! It's you!" he said when he saw Aby. Sofia pulled on her friend's kimono sleeve.

"Oh! It's Kiyo!"

"Huh? Who's Kiyo?" he asked.

"It's very unexpected!" Aby told him, feeling the blush coming back after remembering what had happened at the store. He just smiled and pointed to the lady he was talking to.

"My family owns these hot springs. That's my mother, over there!" He spoke a few more words to her, before looking at them once more. "Are you guys hungry?"

The table was very big and very low. Aby, yet again, was surprised by a another unexpected feature of the kotatsu; There was a hole under the table that provided heat for the cold evenings. This country was better and better each day! They all sat under a beautiful red blanket that was topped with a supported wooden table, covered with plates of sashimi, grilled chiken, fish and other things that Aby couldn't place.

"I was trying to convince my mother to close the springs for the time being. I was worried something might happen. But she doesn't want to. This is her only source of income, so she is reluctant."

He paused and skillfully brought a piece of squid in his mouth, using chopsticks.

"What you felt earlier is as bad as it gets though...so she doesn't believe something bad could happen, but…"

"You feel otherwise?" asked Hazel.

Abigail was listening while trying to work out the mahogany chopsticks she was holding. She wondered if it would be rude to use her hands; she was pretty hungry and the smell of the grilled food was so enticing that she didn't have the patience to use chopsticks.

"I just don't understand what is going on, and it makes me uneasy," he continued. "None of this makes sense...it doesn't come from the ground…the geologists in Japan did not record any movements from the tectonic plates, or at least, not out of the ordinary. All of this is odd and it's all over TV in here."  
Aby remembered the people at the airport and also in the cable car, looking down at their phone with concern.

"You said it had something to do with the volcano?" she asked.

"I personally don't think so. They are trying to find a quick explanation for the people to calm down. That one is clever and 'could' make sense, but the volcano is not acting any different than usual."

As he was talking, she got distracted by some disturbing shouts coming through their window, from outside the room. She gave in to curiosity and peeked out while he was still talking to the others.

"WHAT THE...!" Abigail ran out as quickly as she could, not bothering to remove the sandals that were meant solely for inside the rooms. The others were startled by her sudden change of behavior. 'Kiyo' followed her, telling the others to stay put.

"Hey...uhh..you! Wait!"

She went outside, hoping to have misunderstood what she saw. Unfortunately, her eyes have not deceived her. A little boy, maybe 6 or 7 years old, was curled up, protecting his head, screaming and crying; three very angry men were lashing out at him, beating and kicking him. Abigail put herself between the men and the boy begging them to stop. They all stared at her in surprise. For a moment she was afraid she would get the same treatment for butting in their business, but they just held back in surprise...one of them turned his eyes back to the child and started to yell again. She put her arms around the child and screamed as loud as she could, all the while knowing they could not understand her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! LEAVE HIM ALONE. Hey! I said STOP!"

She tried to cover him as much as she could, receiving kicks as well, partly absorbed, somehow, by the kimono she was wearing. The little pain that was left was ignored from the adrenaline.

'Kiyo' came rushing in and shouted at the men who finally backed away. He came into a heated argument with them. The men bowed to Aby and apologized profusely before finally leaving, still spitting at the boy who was still curled up in fear.

"Are you ok?" he said, leaning beside her and the boy, "I told them you were a guest here and also a foreigner and that it would look bad on Japan if the locals would start fighting with tourists."

She was still shaking. She looked up and saw Matt, Hazel and Sofia, looking down with concerns, from the same window where she saw the boy earlier.

"Kiy...I mean, you, why were they doing that? Why would they do something like that?!"

He looked at the boy.

"These men are part of our staff. vIt seems the kid was caught stealing food. Apparently he has been going from Onsen to Onsen at night and stealing all kinds of stuff."

"So? Is that a good reason to beat the crap out of a little boy?!"

"No! Of course not! But some people in this area don't do very well with compassion." The little boy lifted his head to look at her for the first time. His eyes were red and very scared. A small voice, some distance behind them, called out, surprising them.

"Nii-san"

The boy suddenly got up and ran toward the source of the sound; A little girl was standing behind a tree, too scared to come out, and crying out her big brother's name over and over again. When he reached her, she gently touched his left eye, which was a little swollen.

"They're hungry!" Aby angrily told Him. "and cold and lost and all alone".

"I can see that." He looked at her, helpless.

"Well, do something about it!"

"I can't."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" She had never felt so angry and useless.

"Listen, I sympathize, I really do, but the reality of businesses here is this: there are a lot of homeless people, including children, just like them. If we start feeding one, more will come, and if we feed them all, we'll have no more money to even help ourselves."

"Oh sure, may the strongest ones survive, right? WE ARE NOT ANIMALS! WE ARE HUMANS! We need to take care of each other!"

"In a perfect world, yes; but our world is far from perfect," he said calmly. She knew he was right. One person, or one business cannot feed them all, but how can you not show compassion for two little children.

"Please just for one night at least...and tend to the boy! Your guys did this to him!"

"My mom's guys..." He watched her with a hint of defiance. "And they were trying to teach him a lesson! Being a child does not give him the right to steal."

She laughed out loud at this lousy excuse.

"I'm not trying to excuse the men...but this is the harsh reality. A lot of people would do the same here or anywhere for that matter!"

"Would you?"

"Of course not!" he said, disgust on his face.

She looked at the boy who just watched them arguing, without knowing what they were saying. He hugged his little sister who held onto him for dear life. Everybody hears of these homeless children, but it was heartbreaking to actually witness it..

"OK, listen, I'll pay for them, double if I have to! Let them stay the night, take a bath and feed them. They can stay in our room!"  
He looked at the kids.

"You know they might try to steal from you while you're asleep."

She reflected on this for a few seconds.

"Yeah I know,"

He sighed and looked at his mom who was watching from the doorway, frowning.

"Fine, but you should put the very important documents under your mat, like your passport, and sleep on top of it!"

She stopped the urge to mock him. What would kids do with passports?

"Thank you!"

She felt the weight of ten cars lifting from her shoulders. He motioned for the kids to come closer and spoke Japanese. It sounded harsh at the beginning, but then the words softened. He pointed to the entrance then to Aby. It took some time for them to trust his words, but they eventually shyly joined her, and stuck to her like glue.

Aby and her friends fed them first, allowing the kids to join them at the table and did their best not to let the stench get to them. They were reluctant to eat at the beginning, looking at the yummy food, like it might be poisoned, but eventually ate as if they hadn't eaten in days. Then, Sofia and Aby quickly washed them in the public showers. The little girl was watching Abigail with big shiny eyes while she was washing her messy hair. Her brother, on the other hand, was distracted by all the lights and colors of the public baths. They didn't need to hide anything under their mats...the kids were so exhausted that they fell asleep instantly.

The next day they all woke up for breakfast. Aby got dressed and helped them put on their washed clothes.

She felt very distressed; having to let them go out there, nowhere…

_This is not normal,_ she told herself. She didn't know the kids. They barely spoke, but leaving children to go back to fend for themselves is not normal, not human. She felt even worse when she saw them following her everywhere, as if she was their new protector.

_"I just can't do it! I can't leave them!"_ She went outside for a quick walk while the others were finishing their packing; the kids followed her. She patted the boy's hair gently. He just stared back. Did he understand what was going on?

"I'm sorry little guy! I'm so, so sorry!"

Just then, the earth started crumbling around her. Trees and soil caved in, the springs roared, a huge puff of dust and debris seemed to explode at the back of the building; suggesting the back side had collapsed suddenly. She heard screams coming from inside and outside of the building. Hazel's voice rang out somewhere inside; she was calling out to Matthew in panic. A thundering sound surrounded her and she lost balance, as the ground started to shake violently. The children screamed and fell to the ground, holding on to each other. Abigail saw a few puffs of smoke coming from the ground and for a second, she thought the volcano was erupting.

_No...the smoke would be ashy...it would burn...there would be heat...this is something else!_

She realized she had stopped breathing since the earthquake started. The sound was scary. Her feet finally gave up the fight to keep her up and she fell on all four. She looked up to the trees around that threatened to uproot. The sky that was bathed in sunlight a few minutes ago seemed plunged in darkness.

_What the hell?!_

She could see two tornadoes in the distance. Was that normal? The dark grey funnels seemed almost painted and it stretched very far and high in the dark sky, lit by occasional bright lightnings. A few waterfalls shot upright and splashed all around.

To say that something was off would have been an understatement!

She didn't have time to think for long; The ground split open right under her feet. She held her breath again, as she caught on the edge of the cleft that just appeared. She looked down and couldn't see the bottom. The little boy crawled closer to her and tried to grab her hand. His body kept on bouncing on and off the ground as it shook. He flattened himself on the ground with terrified expression on his face.

"No! Get back!" she yelled to drown the loud growling of the earth.

Too late. The edge she was holding onto crumbled, and she and the boy were swallowed in. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she fell. She heard the little girl screamed a few meters away. She kept on falling, waiting for the hit. The fall was a long one! There was no way she would survive this. The realization gave her cold sweat. She had a few more seconds to live; so did the kids. She felt things crashing onto her, or maybe she was the one crashing onto things?

The light completely disappeared; she opened her eyes and there would have been no difference if she had kept them closed; it was pitch dark. She thought for a second she might have turned blind. Her brain couldn't comprehend what was going on. Gravity was pulling her deeper and faster. She felt her heart pulling towards her throat. Wasn't she supposed to have lost consciousness by now?

The wait for death was torture...she imagined the final "crunch" of her body hitting the ground; then imagined worst; the loud "thump" or "crack" of the kids hitting the ground before her, and she sobbed, praying she would die before hearing those horrific sounds. She realized they were still trying to hold onto her as she felt fingers holding onto her legs and shirt. They had stopped screaming for some time. They were probably also coping with the thought that they were going to die. The little fingers lost grip as a mysterious strong wind hit them like a wall; there was a loud, eerie screech. A blinding light surrounded them for a few seconds, followed by a frightening loud "crack".

Then, all was dark.

...

_**Konoha**_

_Sasuke and Sakura got taken by surprise as they were trying to settle down for the night. The earth shook violently around them. The air seemed to be roaring and a giant beam of light appeared in the distance, coming from the north west. Another one came from the east, very close to their village, or so it seemed! The trees were almost uprooted from their strong hold. Some leaves were furiously dancing around, blown by a sudden strong wind. The forest, which has been quiet until now, was now screeching and howling. Some wild dogs and other creatures could be heard yelping and howling in the distance._

_Sakura was trying hard to keep control over her balance. It was like something had taken hold of the piece of land they were on and started to furiously shake it. Sakura lost her footing and fell in the fire she started an hour ago. The fire was already out from the strong wind, but the ash and logs were still scorching hot._

_As she was rolling out, Sasuke used his only arm to yank her away from it. He also lost balance and fell heavily on Sakura. She gave a short growl from the pain, her breath cut short by Sasuke's weight, but the sound was buried by the landslide that made them tumble down a few meters away. Flashes of lightning blinded them for a few seconds, as if someone had shone a flashlight onto their eyes several times; a very powerful flashlight. When the light was gone, they heard a hard boom, like an explosion nearby, they were lifted a few centimeters from the ground, levitating for a few seconds, along with small rocks and debris brought about from the forest, before finally dropping down all at once._

_Then everything stopped. _

_The two lights disappeared and everything was seemingly back to normal. It took the birds a few minutes to start singing again, as if nothing happened. They could finally breathe, but it took them a minute to move again. Sakura was now on top of Sasuke who was breathing heavily. She got up and offered her hand to help him up. _

"_What the…"_

"_What just happened?" she asked._

_He looked up where the lights used to be. He was sure this was where they were heading. He wasn't sure of the distance, but if he was right, one appeared near Amegakure. He frowned. What the hell was that?!_

"_Something is coming," he whispered._

_..._

_**Sunagakure**_

_Gaara studied admiringly the flower that his favorite cactus produced. The fragile new bloom had finally opened its delicate silky petals that absorbed the faint light given by the moon. That one only bloomed at night; usually, for one night only. _

_"Like a shy and beautiful lady who doesn't want to be noticed by anyone," he thought._

_He resisted the urge to touch the petals, fearing they would break. The plant, as all the cacti he cultivated, fascinated him. They were not the type of plant people wanted in their home. They were dull; scary looking. They were filled with sharp thorns that would make you bleed. Yet, held on to life amidst the lack of it. With little water they strive. Some hid medicinal properties in them. Some others, like the night bloom, had a secret that would come once in a new moon...a beautiful flower that drank from the moonlight, and would normally fade away with the sunlight._

"_Well, I am honored that you let me see you, my beautiful lady!" he said to the night-blooming Cereus with a smile._

_In answer, the flower started to tremble. Gaara, for a split second, thought the flower reacted to what he had just said, then he felt the ground under his feet shake…_

_He braced himself as the whole room violently trembled all around him. He feared the room would collapse under his feet, but he didn't quite know what to do...his room was quite high above the ground, with nothing to hold onto while climbing down, or at least, not when everything was shaking so violently._

_A beam of wood from the ceiling gave in right above his beautiful flower. He threw his sand by instinct and the wooden beam just rolled off the sand around the shaking new bloom. He heard shouts coming from outside. People were giving in to panic. He stood with difficulty as the ground shook; and looked out, down below; it was like his village was lifted up in the air and suddenly dropped to the ground, revealing the sand as a cloud of dust, covering all the houses and other buildings for a few seconds. When the sand slowly fell back down to the ground, the cloud of dust started to reveal some of the buildings, and people blindly running around._

_To his horror, he watched the earth open into large pit that stretched down running south, followed by a loud deafening grumble raging underground. He gasped when he saw some of the people running straight to it, unaware of the danger. He raised his hands in an attempt to manipulate the sand from afar, which would cost him a fair amount of chakra, but was thrown to the ground by his own bed who slid back and forth, behind him; his sand, of course, came in between, but did not hold fast, since danger came from everywhere at the same time. Still on the ground and covered with sand, his eyes never left the scene that was unfolding before him. Once again, he raised his hands in a sharp precise motion, which created a cloud of dust around his arms._

"_SAND BARRIER!" _

_Like reacting to a magic word, the soil of Suna suddenly formed a giant sand wall between the pit and his people who were blindly running towards it. The wall lasted for a few seconds only. Some knocked themselves on it. His arms dropped heavily to his side; that sand was not his sand mixture, which was easier to manipulate. His chakra already depleted considerably and he felt the exhaustion settle throughout his body, like he just ran nonstop for hours; he hoped that his people would get the hint and not run in that direction anymore. _

_Gaara eyes were drawn to a giant beam of light suddenly reaching the ground in the distance. _

_He squinted; it wasn't far from Suna... _

_His thoughts were interrupted by the bed that was once more threatening to smash into him. He rolled aside and crashed into the wall, knocking the air out of his chest. Looking up, he saw the ceiling collapse on him. Before he could do anything, his mother's love manifested once more; this time a solid sand shield formed between him and the collapsing ceiling. Cracks formed on the inside walls._

_Just when he thought he'd get away through the window with the help of his sand, the earthquake stopped. Everything became still, as suddenly as it had begun. _

_The people stopped screaming and everything fell very quiet for a few seconds, then, life came back. His people started to cry in relief, some others, in despair. He could see from his broken window, the majority of the buildings had significant damage. He groaned. They were just starting to start over since the fourth war! Gaara's door opened and his brother came in, agitated._

"_IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?!"_

_His question was followed by several coughs, as he attempted to wave away the dust, in vain. __Gaara also coughed and sneezed, his hair had turned grey from all the dust and sand that was now flying off his head. _

"_I think so, the flower survived...surprisingly." Gaara answered, looking at his flower._

"_I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT!" Gaara looked at his brother who have had better days. He slowly stood up and shook the dust off his hair and clothes. _

"_When was I ever 'not ok'?"_

"_You died once!"_

"_That was different." _

_He knew Kankuro was referring to the time when the Akatsuki removed Shukaku from him._

"_Besides, that was years ago." _

_Gaara dressed the small round table back up and put it back in front of the window. He only realized now that his left leg was sore; probably from the hit of the bed._

"_Yeah! And the old granny is not here to bring you back to life a second time! Anyway...I'm glad you're OK." _

_He looked around and then up to the ceiling that was, in part, no longer there._

_"Holy Shit!"_

_He helped Gaara fix the furniture that had moved around. Gaara gently scooped up his cacti that had fallen to the ground...most of them small, before setting them on the table._

"_Well, That was different..." _

_Gaara looked out into the night. The moon, which was completely covered by a sand storm, reappeared again. No...not a sand storm…_

"_A cloud of sand," said Gaara, like in a trance. The sand in the distance, far beyond the village, came back down on the desert floor with a 'swoosh'. _

"_What?"_

"_Something is coming." he said with a frown._

_..._

_**Iwagakure**_

_The old Tsuchikage woke from his slumber when his room literally threw him off his bed. His poor back cracked at the landing and old Onoki cried in pain. A piece of the ceiling crumbled on him and gave him a big bump on his forehead._

"_Arrggg! What is going on!"_

_Kurotsuchi, his granddaughter, burst through the door, covering her head with her hands and running towards the old man. She was struggling to keep her balance; being thrown left and right on the walls._

"_Grampa! We've got to...ah...get out of here, NOW!" she urged. She helped him up and helped him walk towards the door. He pushed her away._"_I can walk by myself! Plus there is no time to head out through the door! Let us jump out through the window!"_"_WHAAAAT?! Nooo!...ah! dammit!"_

_She bounced back from one wall to another, avoiding all the furniture that was tossed around like coins in a bag. The silly leader of the village hidden in stones slowly made his way towards the window, wobbling with a bent, painful back, the ground constantly throwing him off balance._

"_Grampa! You c….can't, you won't survive the fall at your age!"_

"_Do not argue with me, granddaughter! I have helped triumph over the fourth great ninja war! Who do you think you are t...talking to!" _

_He was already at the window._

"_What? What?! No! Gramps! You can't! Arrrg...will you get down from there!"_

_As she pulled his arm back towards her, the room stopped shaking. Everything became still again. They both looked out of the window, into the distance. People were running back and forth outside of the building and realized all of a sudden that everything was back to normal and they were now calming down. Kurotsuchi sighed, relieved._

"_Gramps, you can't keep doing that! Is your ego so big that you are ready to risk your life to prove you are still capable? Gramps? Grandpa?" _

_The old man kept staring into the distance, his eyes wide open. There has been this light just now, but it was gone._

"_Something is coming, Kurotsuchi my girl. I can feel it in my guts. I don't know what it is, but…" he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, frowning._"_Something is coming."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

"Is anybody coming? Hello?" asked a little voice.

Another one was crying.

Abigail tried to understand where she was. She could see faint outlines of...things, around her; blurry things. Aby slowly came back to her senses and, as she tried to sit, nausea creeped in suddenly, so she let her upper body fall back down and rest for a few more minutes.

Her head was pounding and her legs were numb. Where was she? What happened? Why was everything so dark? She blinked her eyes hard, a couple times, but it was still pitch black and blurry. She tried to raise herself into a sitting position and became nauseous again; she fell back and realized her right leg was stuck under something. When she tried to recall what happened, she decided to let go of whatever her stomach did not want to hold onto. Still fuzzy and confused, she allowed herself to cry for a few seconds, then took a few deep breaths to calm down. She heard some movements to her left.

"It's OK, Tori, I'm right here, OK? Just listen to my voice!"

"I'm scared NiiSan!" cried the little voice.

"Hello?" Aby said with a weak, raspy voice. She tried to make out what was blocking her leg. Her head was still hurting so she closed her eyes for a moment, then called out again.

"Hello? I'm...I'm right here…" she said.

"Hello?" a child's voice answered. "Where are you?"

"Here...just...walk slowly and carefully towards my voice...can you guys...can you see what's around you?"

There was a pause with short breaths. Maybe the boy was scanning his surroundings.

"Um, yeah, a little."

"Ok, follow...my voice and come to me...carefully."

She was short of breath and found it hard to speak.

"Hold each other's hand and be very careful...it looks like the Springs hotel collapsed, it could collapse even more. Try to get to me first, then we'll decide what to do from there."

Her eyes started to get used to the dark and she tried to push away the tree trunk that was over her leg. A few inches away, she could make out the outline of a bag on the ground; her bag. The daisies were bright enough to distinguish the patterns. She stretched as far as she could reach and grabbed the strap with her finger, feeling a pull in her arm.

_How the hell am I still alive? _She thought.

She let a another sob come out of her chest and tears of fear leaked out. She forced herself to calm down, once more, so she could think about what to do next. She could hear the children come closer. One of them was still sniffling. She then remembered the two children she was with a few minutes ago. What happened to them?

"Is there anybody else with you?"

"I don't think so,'' said a voice. "Just me and my sister."

"You guys are not ghosts right?" she humored, trying to lighten up the situation.

A few more blinks took care of the blurriness, and her eyes slowly made out more details in the darkness. A boy and little girl reached her and stood there, in shock. She looked up at their faces and stared back, confused; The same boy and girl from earlier were staring at her in disbelief. The shocking memory of their faces also brought back the memory of what happened to them.

"Wait...you guys speak English?!"

"No! You speak Japanese!" he replied, just as confused as she was.

"I don't speak Japanese!" Aby said.

"Well, I don't speak English!" he retorted with a frown.

"Neesan Hurt" the little girl said sweetly. She touched Abigail's forehead and she grimaced, trying to wipe off the blood on her hand.

"Ha...I'm ok."

She wasn't, but there was no point in telling the kids; the kids who suddenly spoke English...Her head was too messed up and in pain to worry about that for now.

"Can you guys help me push this thing off my leg? I think we should be able to do it together." The two children came closer and grabbed hold of the tree.

"On the count of three..."

They were able to free Aby's leg without any problem.

"That was not even heavy!" mocked the boy.

"Mmm" She stood up slowly. She could barely walk straight, but she didn't want to stay there. The boy came by her side to support her. His little sister walked on ahead.

"Tori! Not so fast!" he said.

"Do you have a name or should I call you boy?"

"Toshiko"

"Tori and Toshiko huh? I'm Abigail. How old are you?"

Tori proudly pointed 3 fingers at them.

"My sister is three and I'm seven!"

"Where are your parents? How come they're not around?"

"How come we can understand each other?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"I don't know. But I can't really think right now. Let's get out of here."

She was so confused; they fell for a long time, but somehow, they were alive. Once they passed the debris, they walked through some kind of tunnel, like in a cave or something. Maybe they were? Maybe there was a cave under the Springs? Or a Tunnel?

"Light!" Tori pointed ahead; She was right, it was brighter as they walked on, but still very dark. The tunnel grew wider. She could see a silver ball of light ahead. It took some time for her brain to realize it was the moon.

Wait...The moon?! Wasn't it morning when they fell? How long was she out? Thinking made her puke again.

Sweet Toshiko and Tori patted her on her back, like a mother would.

"I have to close my eyes," Abigail said as she fell on the ground. Her head was pounding and she was short of breath. _Concussion_, she thought.

"No! If you fall asleep, you're gonna die!"

"NO DIE! NO DIE!" cried Tori, terrified. Aby raised her hand and grimaced.

"I'm not going to die, guys! I just hit my head a little and I need to rest. Look, I know it's a lot to ask, but try to be quiet, OK? I really need to sleep. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow."

Tori and Toshiko went to lean against Aby and closed their eyes as well. Abigail stretched her legs, leaned her back against the cold damp rock wall and took deep breaths. Maybe it was the fresh air coming from outside the cave, but she felt already better, or rather; safer. It wasn't as dark or claustrophobic anymore. She made herself calm down, telling herself that she was away from danger. It took some time, but her breathing became regular and her head stopped spinning, at last. She still had a headache, but she drifted to sleep, hoping she would wake up in the morning.

Sleep came with nightmares of free fall and blood. Screams and cries. But it also came with light, like magic, and a sense of safety. She started walking in a dark corridor with many doors, curiously, it was not scary. She walked on towards whichever door she wanted to go to, confident and unafraid; as if she was in her element. She reached the door, held something in her hand that suddenly transformed into some heavy staff; and went through the door.

The next morning, thankfully, she woke up. Her headache still there, but not as bad as before. She walked out of the cave and held her breath.

"Beautiful!"

The landscape They were looking at was breathtaking. The colors! They were rich and bright, the smell of the forest below reached their nostrils; the smell of pine trees, and...a hint of lilac? It was a beautiful, but an odd sight. Everything looked...perfect; too perfect. There was no discolored grass, everything was green and lush. Even the broken branches on the trees looked perfectly placed, like a movie set. The wild flowers were all perfect too!; no petals were missing.  
The scene reminded Aby of a painted picture, but in a realistic way. No, better than that; made by computer in very, very, very high definition. It looked real, but in a surreal way.

There were Pine trees and conifers all around her, but also deciduous everywhere. Huge ones! She looked back at the cave...there was no trace of the hot Springs or houses or any business around. There was no one here but them! Where was everyone? Where were her friends? She remembered they were still inside the spring's hotel when the earthquake happened. She felt a chill down her spine; She was sure she saw the building collapse. Oh God! What happened to her friends?  
She looked again above the entrance of the cave...there were absolutely no signs of man made settlement.

"Where are we?" she whispered.

"Nii-san, where Springs?"

"I think we're somewhere else," Toshiko answered his little sister.

Aby took the strap of her purse and put it across her shoulder, so she wouldn't have to worry about losing it.

"All right guys, look over there!" Abigail pointed down the hill, where a big river was flowing. "We could be there, I say, in maybe an hour or so!"

If they followed it, she thought it might lead them to a house or something. She wasn't positive about it; she just remembered seeing it in a movie or something.

It took them much longer; the little one was not very fast. Aby was surprised that she never asked to carry her even once. Not that she would have been able to... Tori just held her brother's hand all the way.

Toshiko was able to catch fish with a harpoon he made out of twigs! Fire was a problem. Aby had no idea how to make one. The kids looked up to her with high hopes!

"Well, if you guys can catch fish, then by God, I can make a fire!"

She remembered a movie where Tom Hanks figured out how to make one. She copied him, but of course, movies tend to make it look easy. Her hands were getting sore from trying to light the fire. She even cut a finger.

"Maybe the wood is too damp?" Asked Toshiko, anxiously.

She shook her head. He was getting impatient and Aby couldn't blame him. Tori was already naming the fish he caught a few minutes ago.

"Baku and Naya like water much!" she giggled.

She cupped her hands to gather more water from the river and put it into the bucket.

"Hey! Don't name them!" Toshiko said to her, annoyed. "You'll get attached! You know we're gonna eat them, right?" He turned to Abigail. "Let me try!"

At this point, Aby thought he might very well be one of those genius kids who can do everything. He was from the street after all! But it was no use. He gave up after a minute. She took over again, covering her hands with the bottom of her shirt.

"Owww!," She said frustrated, "I even have blisters on my blisters!"

She couldn't get the damn fire starting. Her stomach was angrily growling and Tori started to cry.

"I'm sorry honey," she said while rubbing the stick on the bark, "I know you guys are hungry but…"

"I don't want to eat the fishies!" she declared to Aby's surprise; the girl was sad to eat the fish?

Aby sighed and threw the stick in frustration.

"Guys…" she said, defeated. "Let's go in the forest and try to get some berries or something!"

She tried her best to make it sound like fun. Toshiko looked at her with teary eyes. He had done such a great job at catching the fish and he was looking forward to eat them.

"Berries! Berries!" said Tori, happily. Aby put her blistered hand on Toshiko's head.

"I know. I'm sorry. You did such a great job! I'll tell you something, you are more useful than I am, truly! But I have no idea how to make a fire. If we go on like this, we'll starve. Let's go and try to find something that doesn't need to be cooked. Then we can try to find people! If we follow the river, we might find a town or something!"

_And some medical place to check my head_, she thought.

Toshiko stiffened at the mention of people.

"I don't like people," he said.

She looked at him and remembered the three men from the other night.

"I know buddy, but I'm with you now! As long as I'm around, I won't let anything happen to you or your sister."

She walked back to the river with Tori, who let the fish go with a smile. Aby was enchanted by the clarity of the water. The fish happily swam away, between the rocks and pebbles on the river ground.

"Bye Bye!" Tori sweetly told them.

Aby washed her hands in the water. It stung a little because of the cuts and blisters, but the cool water felt good after a few seconds. She cupped them and drank. Oh that was nice! The taste was even better than the filtered water she was used to! _Too perfect..._she thought again. She took another sip, then heard Toshiko scream at his sister. She was getting further in the water in an attempt to chase the fish she just released. Aby instinctively raised her hand towards Tori to warn her of the unsteady rocks, but what followed was a total shock!

Somehow, a huge wave of water soaked Tori and caused her to fall. Toshiko and Aby were speechless. Her hand was still raised towards a very wet Tori, who picked up a pink shell in the water. She was sitting in the knee deep water and showed her prize to Aby.

"Pretty shell!" she said, as happy as a fish in the sea.

"D-Did I just do that?" she asked herself. She waved her hand again above the water. A gentle wave followed.

"What the…!"

"Nee-san, You can do magic!" Toshiko said with bright eyes. Abigail ignored him.

"Never mind that, let's go you guys."

She turned towards the forest and started to walk. The kids just ran ahead, laughing. She quickly looked back to the lake and stopped for a moment, a few meters away from the water.

She raised her hand to eye level, palm facing the water; then lifted it a little. The water from the river rose as well, following her hand, as if it was a command.  
She slowly twirled her opened hand around; the water gathered together as a big bubble and just floated over the river. She made a fist and waved her hand back and forth. Again, the water went, back and forth, from side to side, in a solid condensed bubble. She could see the two fish they had released, they were not swimming. They were "trapped" from the pressure in their own element! She released the pressure of her fist, and the fish started swimming again. In a final gesture, the water was released back into the river in a big splash as her hand dropped to her side. She turned around, puzzled, and followed the children in the forest. She was in total shock of what she just witnessed.

_I just freaking manipulated water! With my hand!_ She thought.

_We're not home anymore_...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sasuke walked quite fast, ignoring Sakura's stare on his back. She followed him perplexed. He had been avoiding her all morning and she wasn't sure why. They have spoken, but it was always short, and he had been avoiding looking her in the eyes.

_That's odd__, _she thought.

She slowed down to get some water from her gourd; her eyes still on Sasuke. He turned around to see what the hold up was. She gulped too much at once and some water ran down her neck. She looked at him, while using the back of her hand to clean her chin. Sasuke followed the trace of the water running down her neck and quickly turned away.

_What the hell was that all about? _she thought.

She took an apple from her satchel and cut herself a piece with a small pocket knife. She offered him a piece and he quickly took it, avoiding eye contact.

"Thanks," he said, nonchalantly.

She paused as he kept walking, staring at his back, then she went towards the water stream that was flowing down some rocks, to cool herself. She cupped her hands and drank some more before splashing her face and neck with it, and filling her gourd.

Sasuke was cursing himself. What was wrong with him?! He was blushing red hot and couldn't focus. He knew he was being awkward, but couldn't seem to shake it off. That dream...that stupid dream! What on Earth? He swallowed the apple. And looked at the map.

What was this all about anyway...and Sakura? It could have been any girl...it could have been Karin! He felt at least there would have been a reason...he spent some time with her and the other two guys towards the end of his "revenge quest"; the comrade relationship with Sakura rekindled only recently and nothing out of the ordinary happened? He shook his head to focus on the map.

"Sasuke? " The way she softly said his name startled him.

"Sasuke, is everything alright? Do you have a fever? Why are you so hot?"

_Why are you so hot..._She also said that in his dream...

"N-no I'm fine!" he said, overly confident. "I was just looking at the map."

Her gaze looked down towards the map, then back up at Sasuke.

"So? Are we there yet? Amegakure?" she asked.

"Close"

"You sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, annoyed.  
She Gave him an amused smile.

"Jeez I don't know, maybe because the map you're looking at is upside down?"

"..."

"..."

"I...we need to go north, so I just turned it, slightly, to give me an...an idea of, uhh, of ahh...Hey! I don't need to explain to you how I do things OK? I'll remind you I did very well traveling on my own for a very long time!"

"Fine! Fine! No need to get angry!" she said laughing. She walked ahead of him. "I'm sure you have your reasons...to look at an upside down map," she said, grinning while walking away, holding her hands in her back.

Sasuke studied her; she never showed that smirk to him before. That was quite attractive.

_Arrrg!_!

He shook the thought out of his mind again, turned the map right side up before putting it back in his bag and went to get water out of the same spring that Sakura used before. He splashed his face with water and put some on his neck. He looked down to the right and jumped in surprise.

"SAKURA!"

She spun back, kunais already in her hands and prepared to engage in battle. But Sasuke just pointed to his right, down the hill, off the side trail. She came closer and looked down; a lady was lying there, seemingly lifeless. She put her kunais back in her satchel and they both climbed down the hill to the person. The girl was about their age. She was wearing weird clothes; a short white shirt with "Nike" written on it, below some kind of check mark, if this was a family crest, they did not recognize it. She also wore some kind of thick dark blue casual jacket over the shirt. She had a short, bright pink skirt and had her dirty teal hair in a ponytail. She was still wearing a bag on her back.  
They looked at each other, puzzled. Sakura kneeled down over her and waved her hands above her torso. A bright green hue softly lit the girl, right under Sakura's hands.

"That is so weird! She is alive, but I can't sense any chakra in her!"

"Maybe she is just very weak?"

Sakura handed a cup to Sasuke.

"Get some water for her. She is dehydrated. She was probably trying to reach the water up there."

As he went to get the water, she gently removed the bag she was carrying on her back and turned the girl over. She made a sound, but did not open her eyes. She had some lacerations on her face, which Sakura proceeded to heal with her healing jutsu. Sasuke came kneeling beside his partner and slowly fed a few drops of water in the girl's mouth. He looked at the bag on the side and picked up something attached to it.

"What the...is that supposed to be you?" Sakura looked at what he was holding. A little charm portraying a girl with a long red dress and short pink hair, kunais in hands, ready for battle, wearing a headband with the leaf symbol on it.

...

Aby was beaming. Not only did they find wild blackberries, but there was a small wooden bridge nearby overlooking a small stream of water; which means there had to be people around! She looked beyond the bridge. There was nothing beyond but sand and rocks. So she thought to follow the stream of water. They were so hungry! They have been walking all day! The giant moon was now rising and shining brightly. _Even the moon looks perfect!_ She thought.

The kids were eating all the berries they could find. Tori brought her a few.

"Thank you! You are such a sweetheart!"

She took the sweet berries and prayed they would not find out later that they were the poisonous kind...they were so yummy! She kept looking around.

"Why do I have this feeling that something is out there?"

She didn't feel threatened, yet, but the more time they spent there, the more she grew uneasy. They drank some water from the stream and sat down.

"You guys stay here for a few minutes OK? I'm gonna go ahead and see where we should go for the night. Stay here!" Aby stressed.

"Nee-san, do the magic!" asked Tori excitedly.

"Not now honey...I'll be right back!"

She made her way across the bridge, out in the open and saw the beauty of the desert. The moon shone it's light on the white sand and rocks. She walked further up the hill to see if she could find some cave or something to spend the night. The sand made the climb difficult, and as she reached the top, she found nothing but empty open space. She reached for her messed up braided hair; took the elastic bend out and fixed her hair a little, before quickly bringing them into a ponytail. She went back down to follow the forest line, and abruptly stopped.

She felt the chill again.

_Something is here_, she thought. _I'm being watched._

She looked around but couldn't see anything. The area was very quiet, except for the stream of water running under the bridge. She started walking again, towards it. She grew uneasy with every step she made. She stopped again, and looked. She was very close to the wooden bridge. She stopped breathing and listened.

Nothing.

She saw Toshiko peeping out smiling. He was going to say something, but stopped himself when she raised her hand towards him. She motioned to hide back in the trees. He took his sister's hand and did just that. Aby nervously crossed back the bridge, slowly. She hugged herself, shivering from this chill she couldn't shake off. She looked right, listened and observed. When she stepped to the left, something jumped right in front of her and pushed her over the bridge. She landed a meter down in the stream and cut her arm on one of the rocks in it.

It happened so fast, she didn't see anything or even feel the cut right away. Her assailant was already back on her. She instinctively rolled out of the water, onto the ground to get the person off of her, but he/she outmaneuvered her, twisting him/herself out of the way so easily…

Aby attempted a blind clumsy punch as the person came back to attack once more. She reached the chest by sheer luck, but once more, the assailant was quick to counterattack. He/she gave a quick palm hit on her chest. She gasped for air and fell to the ground a meter back. He/she grabbed hold of the small purse she had around her neck and sent Aby flying a few meters away. She landed hard on her right side and slid the last meter against the rocks. She only had time to sit, her head spinning, that her assailant was already running fast towards her again. Still catching her breath, she raised her hands in defense, and that motion made the water from the creek splash onto the assailant who tripped in surprise. In one jump, her assailant twisted him/herself in an agile roll and lifted him/herself up with one hand; but didn't move.

Aby could now clearly see a tall person, wearing an off white hooded cloak. Only his eyes were uncovered. They were bright, piercing, and angry. He observed her, studied her, walking left and right, back and forth, without breaking eye contact.

_Like a tiger in a cage_, she thought.

She stood up with difficulty, panting, her whole body sore, but the adrenaline kept her going. That guy was fast! He was between her and the kids. Her back to the desert, him in front of the bridge, where he appeared. She had nothing on her to protect herself. She glanced around her quickly. No rocks or anything she could use...or at least, nothing close enough.

"Shit!"

She raised her hands quickly to try and manipulate the water once more, but she couldn't quite do any damage. She needed to act quicker than she could think...he was always one step ahead of her.

Why was he doing that, anyway?

The time she took to ask herself that question was a mistake.

Once again, he attacked her, moving swiftly forward. She kicked him out of the way, somehow, but he caught her purse again and yanked it away from her. The Pink purse landed at her feet and she tripped on the leather strap.

"Dammit!"

She raised her hands and somehow summoned the water on him, as a wall. But the wall was too soft. It only splashed him. However, he did not wait to see if it would do any damage. When she raised her hands, so did he; sand lifted her up in the air and wrapped around her entire body. She screamed in surprised. _He can manipulate sand?!_ She lifted one hand out of the sand and repeated the gesture from earlier at the river; the only thing she was able to do; the only thing that could potentially work.

Once again, the water responded to her hand command and lifted up toward the man. He kept eye contact with her all this time. The water threatened to cover his head. Abigail's mouth and nose, however, was already completely covered and she could no longer breathe.

"SAND COFFIN!" His deep voice made itself known for the first time.

Aby's eyes opened wide in shock! That line...she knew it! She knew him! She knew who he was! HOW COULD THIS BE?! His hand raised to eye level…

_If he closes it_, she thought, _if he makes the fist, I'm done!_

She waved and twirled her hand around. Before he could move his hand, he was fully submerged in a dense bubble, including his head. He was trapped, for now.

She couldn't move but her fist wasn't going to open; if she did, he'd be able to close his, and she would die!

And he knew that. He was waiting for that. She started to understand where she was. She didn't know how it was possible, but here she was, inside, or close to the Land of Wind, her favorite character was glaring straight at her, and he was trying to kill her. It was a waiting game...who will let go first...she was in deep, deep trouble.

She couldn't breathe...she would pass out soon. He couldn't breathe either, but he was a Shinobi; a very strong one! She closed her eyes. Held her fist as tight as possible.

_Give up! Just give up!_ She said to him in her mind. _Please give up!_

He was not going to give up. He stared at her from within the bubble. The moon kept on shining on something that was near that strange pink satchel she was wearing earlier. He never broke eye contact with an opponent before, and he wasn't going to let his curiosity change that habit now.

So she was a water user huh? He never saw it coming. He didn't sense an ounce of chakra in her. _She's a strong one_! he thought.

Or was she? He was a little surprised he could so easily attack her and counterattack as well. It's like she couldn't defend herself. She was so slow too.

The thought that she might be just a normal villager, or peasant, or farmer, crossed his mind...but…  
He'd never seen those weird clothes before. She looked so different and she, somehow, had a way to hide the chakra in her; probably a technique to deceive her opponents into thinking she was harmless. But who didn't have chakra?! Only the dead!

He was sure she had something to do with all that. She looked like she was straight from outer space! The shine on the satchel got the best of him and he gave in to the curiosity glancing at the purse, able to move his eyes only.

What? Are these flowers? The shiny stuff were the flowers? His eyes focused on the dangling charm; It looked like. Wait a minute?! Is that…?

He stared back at her. Her eyes were closed and her fist was starting to shake. Not for long now...but he was also starting to lose focus. For the first time, he was doubting himself; thinking he might be mistaken.

He couldn't move his hand at all, but felt the resistance waiver; She was losing her battle, but he wasn't in better shape. His eyesight was starting to get blurry. He couldn't shake the dizziness away; he couldn't move at all! He looked at the little figure on the bag again, as his lungs started to beg for oxygen. As he started to lose consciousness, he let go of the jutsu he was holding on to. The sand started to loosen up around the girl and her hand loosened as well. They both fell to the ground at the same time. He coughed out some water he had swallowed in the process, took deep breaths and crawled to her, his vision blurred and still dizzy.

She looked unconscious. He kneeled right above her, water dripping from his hair and hood, his strength and sight slowly coming back from the oxygen he was breathing. He tightened his grip on a kunai; hesitated for a moment, looking at her delicate features. He noticed the long eyelashes and the brown wavy hair full of sand. The urge came upon him to run his fingers on her face and in her hair. He shook those thoughts away and forced his heart to harden. He lifted the kunai in his right hand and was about to strike, but a little girl came in between, crying.

"Nooo! Nee-san good person!"

A little boy screamed in fear, grabbed the little girl but instead of yanking her away, he put himself in between. Fear was all over his face, but he stayed there, trembling like a leaf. The little girl just kept on hugging her "big sister" and sobbing. Gaara lowered the kunai, confused and backed away. His foot stepped on something; his shaking hand picked up the pink satchel covered with white threaded lilies. He yanked the little charm free and looked at it, puzzled; A little red doll dressed as himself, hugging a huge sand gourd.

"Lord Kazekage! Are you alright? Wow! She didn't miss you! You're all wet!...what are you holding?...is that...supposed to be you?!"

His men came closer and laughed.  
"It's kinda cute!" It would sell well in the village!" Another one said.

Gaara turned to the boy who calmed down a little.

"Who are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Aby regained consciousness with yet another throbbing headache and a blurry vision. A man dressed in a light cloak and surrounded by a white halo around his head, kneeled over her. The man was gently cupping her head in his hands, delicately turning it left, then right, to examine her wounds under the light of the moon.

He frowned and gave a low growl when he saw the damage. He took some dark paste in a small container and gently massaged the cool mixture onto her forehead, giving a faint smell of fresh mud. She grimaced and let out a weak groan. He stopped and looked at her, concerned.

"Oh, you're awake, I'm sorry". He said with a slight, exotic accent she couldn't place; it was very soothing! She felt safe. The halo of light was moving behind his head. She squinted to understand what that halo was...it took some time for her brain to reveal this halo to be the moon. She closed her eyes again and let the man's hands do their job; whatever it was. She was in too much pain too think, and frankly, she didn't mind the gentle hands tending to her head.

"It's stings a little, but it will heal faster." He held her chin up while he put more of the ointment on the wound.

"That one wasn't done by me," he said, looking at the head wound. She mumbled something incoherent in response and gave up on the speech. She couldn't see very well and could barely move, but she heard another deep voice close by, with a similar accent.

"You need to take care of that ... it's getting infected." She could make out his face, somehow...His eyes, his gentle eyes, turquoise, like the ocean, outlined with a thick black line that made their color pop even more. They were not scary at all! On the contrary, with the moon behind his head, she almost thought he was some kind of angel.

His hair was dark reddish-brown with brighter highlights under the moonlight. She noticed something was missing ... she didn't question for long ... Whatever was missing, he didn't need it. _What a handsome guy, _she thought.

His skin seemed to be pale, although the night sky might have been to blame. Her memory started to reveal some hints of who he was and a few moments of the previous fight. She shivered at the recollections and welcomed the warmth in her chest at the different side of himself he was now showing. He was still wearing the same cloak from before; the damp fabric touched her face as he was putting some more ointment on her lacerated arms. She didn't know why the fabric was wet, or rather, she didn't remember. She closed her eyes again, her face following the movement of his hands, seeking their warmth.

"Is she gonna be OK?" asked a familiar little voice.

"I think so," he answered.

She forced her eyes open again ... She wanted to see the strangely soothing eyes once more. This time they were looking right into hers. Like in a trance, she lift her hand and push away a strand of hair covering his forehead, revealing dark scarred lacerations forming a specific kanji pattern.

_"Ahhh_," she thought. "There it is."

She couldn't keep her eyes open. Her headache was getting lighter but still intense. She only found relief when he ran his fingers on the side of her face. She felt the paste warming up where he applied it.

She fell asleep as pain was slowly going away.

... 

Sakura was back from the forest, carrying small logs with both her hands, for the campfire. She was sweating. Sasuke stood up and offered to help.

"No need! I've got th … ". She tripped on a root near the fire-camp. He attempted to catch he, but lost balance himself and they ended up falling on the ground, hard. She looked into his eyes, horrified to have fallen on top of him. Her face turned crimson.

"Are you flirting with me again?" he said, nonchalantly.

She gasped, insulted.

"No! Like I would do that on purpose! I'm not that kind of girl!"

The blush on her face stirred something in him. She tried to get up, but to her surprise, he held onto her left arm. She glared at him, puzzled.

"Let me g …" His mouth suddenly swallowed the rest of her words. Her eyes grew wide from the shock. She protested but he did not let her go. He felt her resistance slowly waver. Her body became heavier. Soon, she completely let go. He re-positioned himself on top of her and kissed her again. This time, she did not resist at all. He parted her lips and met her tongue. She put her hands around his head and kissed him back. He didn't know what was wrong with him. It just took him, as simple as that! And now, he couldn't stop.

She started breathing hard and she tightened her grip on him; that excited him even more. He suddenly left her lips and went for her neck. Her eyes were still closed and her breathing was deep. He kept on kissing her neck; his tongue also wanting to be part of the party. Without thinking, his hand wandered under her red qipao, he lifted the fabric up and held her breast in his mouth. Again, she offered no resistance, but she started to moan a little. His hand went straight in her leggings. She arched her back and breathed loudly. Then she whispered between two breaths.  
"Sasuke"

He sat right up, gasping for air. Eyes wide open, short of breath. He looked around and saw Sakura, soundly asleep, smiling, hugging her cloak to her neck. Sasuke rested his head down on his right hand and took a deep breath. He was sweating profusely.

"Holy shit!" he whispered to himself.

"That must've been a heck of a dream!"

The girl startled him. He completely forgot about her. She was hugging her knees, facing the fire. She's been looking at him for some time now.

"Oh...you're awake." he said. The fire was still going, although weak. He saw that she was trying hard to keep warm.

She didn't dare to touch the fire...feeling that it was not her place to do so; maybe those two meant to let the fire die on its own? But she was so cold! They were surrounded by a wall of dirt and roots intertwined with rocks. Her eyes followed the roots up to the trees above them. The sky was dark and blended with the rooftops of the trees. That wall of dirt was protecting them from the wind, but the wall was damp and did not offer any warmth. She was coveting the girl's seemingly warm and cozy blanket.

He rubbed his face with his hand, fetched a thin blanket out of his own bag and gave it to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking it with both hands. She sighed with relief, cozying up with the soft blanket, covering every inch of her body up to her eyes. What was that thing made of?! It was thin but instantly effective!

She glanced in his direction and saw he did the same, trying to stay casual. He must have thought she looked strange. She thought the same about both of them ... He had strange clothing on him; the girl that was sleeping too! They were both wearing a bandanna on their foreheads, but his was a plain fabric. Her's had a metal plate on it with a weird symbol in the middle; it looked like a bird's head with a spiral in it.

"I hope you don't mind," she started, "I ate the meat that was wrapped in the leaf over there and also drank from that thing." He looked to her left. Where the empty soil leaf and gourd stood.

"No, that's fine. We left it there for you!" a friendly voice said behind Sasuke, followed by a yawn.

Sakura was awake now, half risen from her sleeping spot. Sasuke turned his head away, avoiding eye contact again.

"We knew you'd wake up soon, and that you'd be hungry! Right Sasuke?" Sakura continued.

"Mmhh ... "

"What's your name? Where'd you come from? Where did you get the weird clothes? Why were you alone? Did you escape from somewhere? You were in pretty bad shape when we found you!"

"Slow down Sakura!"

"Oh right, sorry about that! It's just, I have so many questions!"

"My name is Sofia. I'm not from here..." she said while looking at her little Sakura key-chain. "I have no idea how I got here." Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the fire that was slowly dying. "I'm ... lost," she said.  
Sakura looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Okayyyy …. " _She's like a little girl! _she thought. "Well, I'm sure we can help, try us!"

"OK, I'm from the U.S."

"Come again?"

Sofia knew they had no idea what she was talking about. When she woke up, these two were already asleep, although she suspected the guy was trying to stay awake as he was in a sitting position, facing her, holding a knife in his hand, _a kunai_, she remembered Aby say. When she looked at the girl, she frowned at the familiar face. It's when she looked at her charm that she realized who she was. Even if her body was covered, her head was good enough; the short pink hair, the headband. At first she thought "_cosplay"_; until she saw her surroundings.

There was a fresh kill wrapped in a leaf. A gourd made of leather. The camp, the kunai, the lush green and the freaking forest all around, the abnormally big and round moon ... She had a feeling this was not Hakone. The guy and the girl looked much better than on the pictures that she saw online. They didn't quite look human. They obviously were, but they were ... flawless; them, the cooked meat that was on the leaf, even the leaf looked surreal ... like in high def. Very high def.

She raised the blanket over her hair, resting her head on her wrist, since her hands were busy holding the blanket. Has she gone mad? She wished Aby was there to see this world!  
Minus the starving to death and the wild animals hunting her.

"Recently, I was on a trip in Japan with my 3 friends, there was this earthquake and the whole hotel came crashing down on us. I woke up alone in ... there." She pointed to the forest with a vague gesture of her chin.

"I walked around and couldn't find my friends. I couldn't even find anything left of the springs! Where is the volcano? We saw a volcano the same day we ended up at the spring hotel!"

She looked at Sakura and...whatever his name was and saw that they looked at her, wondering if she was alright in the head.

"... and then I ended up dying and somehow you resurrected me and I ended up eating ... what was it I ate?"

"..."

"It was a hare I caught today," said Sasuke.

"Oh! A bunny huh? I didn't know bunnies could be so yummy...I bet it was cute before you killed it"

"..."

"Thank you mister bunny, your sacrifice saved my life," she said to the remains.

They spent the rest of the night in an awkward silence, trying to get some sleep. They rose with the sun the next morning and walked onward, followed by Sofia who kept quiet. It was all very awkward.

"Where is this "Land of us?" Sakura asked Sasuke, later during the walk, breaking the silence.

"I've never heard of it."

"Us?" asked Sofia, curious.

"Last night you said you were from the U.S."

"Ahhhh...it's a country; United States! My friends and I are from Portland, Maine"

"... United States …"

"Main? Main what?" asked Sasuke.

"That's the name of the State. Ugh, forget it. I told you I'm not from here."

She frowned and looked around the beautiful desert landscape she was seeing ahead, as they left the lush forest behind.

"Where is "_here"_ exactly?". she asked.

'Well, about two days worth by foot in that direction", Sakura pointed East, where they came from. "Is where Konohagakure stands. We are heading that way; Amegakure."

"But right now, we are entering the Wind Country." added Sasuke. " We are to head north to meet someone, and from there, we'll try to get you to the nearest village. They'll help you find your home".

_I think..._thought Sasuke who wasn't convinced.

Normally, she would just be a nutcase that escaped from some mental house ... but he couldn't shake away the feeling that she was not. That wardrobe of hers, he was sure, was not of their country, nor any other countries he'd seen; and he's had his fair share of travels in the past two years!

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Sakura who couldn't hold it any longer. "Where did you get that thing?".

She pointed to the little figurine on Sofia's backpack.

"Oh. Amazon"

"Oh! Okay!"

Sofia looked at her sideways and smiled.

"It's an online shopping store."

"Right …"

"You go on the internet and just go to Amazon and ... why am I even explaining this to you!"

"Yeah well, it's OK, never mind," she smiled. "I like it…"

"Of course you do...it's you!" she laughed, "Here," Sofia gave it to her.

"Wh—what? Oh no! It's yours, I could never—"

"It's OK, I'll get another one when I get home ... IF I get home," she whispered. "My friend has one of that little creepy guy with the black eyeliner...he's all dressed in red and he's holding a … "

"LORD GAARA?!" Sakura and Sasuke shouted in unison.

"Yes! You know him? Well, he must be popular if he was turned into a key-chain…"

"So then, does that mean, I'm popular?" asked Sakura, confused.

"I guess ... I never really paid attention to Naruto stuff before Aby got her key-chain, I just noticed that one and thought …"

"You know Naruto too?!"

"Everybody knows Naruto," answered Sofia and Sasuke at the same time; but not quite for the same reason.

"And that guy too …" Sophia pointed to Sasuke who closed his eyes, annoyed.

_Of course everyone knows me, _he thought. Everybody has heard of the shinobi who went rogue and betrayed his village.

He looked up and saw a hawk making rounds over them. He took a piece of paper, put it down on his lap and scribbled something on it. Then, to Sofia's amazement, he summoned the bird of prey with a whistle and it came to land on his arm. Sakura glanced at Sofia before turning back to Sasuke.

"Are you telling Kakashi about …"

"Yes, I feel that he should know about it."

He didn't know what to think of Sofia, but he had a feeling that she was connected to the earthquakes. He sealed the paper to the hawk's claws and set it free, his wings flapping steady towards the dense rooftop of the forest, heading to Konohagakure.

"We're almost there," he said to the girls, leading them further down the open desert.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When Abigail woke up, the sky was a shade of red and lavender; the sun was rising; overlooking a range of bare mountains. Below them, a rocky desert. To the right, lush evergreens and deciduous, following a river bed. She was laying on some kind of mat, on a small but abundant patch of soft grass. She laid her head back down. Above her, was a single tree covered with fragrant orange flowers. The wind was blowing a few petals off, which were transported far down, where the rocky desert was; Just like in anime. She turned her head to follow the floating leaves and blink a few times.

How did she get here again? What happened? She remembered the pain...

She was a little sore but most of it was completely gone now! She was bruised everywhere, but the cuts had a shiny coating on them. The previous night's memory started to resurface. There was a fight and a dream.

She held her painless but tired head to gather her thoughts. Was the fight part of the dream too? She remembered a pair of bright green eyes and ... sand! She gasped, sat up and frantically looked around, blushing. _Was he real? Or was it a random guy doing cosplay? _ Maybe she was confused because of her concussion?

No ... the fight was real ... the bruises on her body was proof of that. But the guy!? She growled and massaged her temples. Her fingers were reminded of the paste that had now dried up. She closed her eyes to try to make sense of what was real and not.

"Nee-san!" The little voice was strong and joyful. Abigail turned towards it and saw her two little companions, happily munching on different kinds of fruits and berries. There was also some bread wrapped in some kind of linen.

"Oh…" she said, drooling.

A tall, familiar man came behind them and gave them some water in a thin grey clay cup. Aby froze when she recognized him. _No way_!

He had deep indigo markings on his face, _it should be purple, like in the anime, _she thought, but then again, she was not in an anime...right?

His head was covered with a lengthy dark grey hat, complementing a loose shirt of the same color. _Kankuro! That has to be Kankuro! s_he thought. Another man she did not recognize was sitting across the kids, beside a big travel bag that seemed to hide someone; hair, or something alike, was coming out of it. _That must be Kankuro's puppet!_

"Well, well!" said Kankuro mockingly, "look who's up!"

His eyes looked from Aby, to someone behind her.

"She must be hungry!" he told that person.

Aby turned around. The world around him blurred before vanishing entirely. All she could see was him!

_Holy shit, he was real too!_

He walked towards her, holding another similar thin clay dish; whatever was inside was steaming hot_._ He must have come out of that big tent further back ... wait, is that tent made out of sand?! As he was approaching, she could have sworn there were bubbles and cherry blossom petals swirling around him, like a divine being, majestically walking towards her.

Gaara was still wearing the same cloak from last night, but his usual crimson coat and body armor peeked through, and his head was now uncovered. She couldn't help but stare. So handsome!

He looked dignified, like a prince! His posture was straight and he held his head high, while his eyes looked down at her. She could see, under the rising sunlight, his hair was a deep brownish red with fiery highlights, reflecting the sun. His signature dark circles around his eyes, which were actually more like a very dark ash color, gave him a piercing stare, and his eyes had more green in them, compared to last night; probably due to the change of light. He was undeniably handsome! However, something wasn't right; his demeanor was now different. A chill ran down her spine as he came closer. The gentle smile he had while tending to her was no longer there. The vibe was not threatening, as when they first met, but the expression he wore was not a friendly one. He stopped when he was half a meter away and simply looked down at her for a few seconds. Then he squatted down to her level, offering her the bowl of steaming rice porridge. There was some dark brown stuff in it ... it didn't seem nor smell appetizing, but she was so hungry!

Her hand extended to accept wholeheartedly the food, but when she did, he slightly drew the bowl back out of reach. She met his eyes in confusion and she could see their expression; just like that, the bubbles and flower petals surrounding him, disappeared.

"Who are you?" he said in a calm voice.

Toshiko quickly stood up, still chewing up on something.

"I told you already! We're from..."

Gaara cut him off with a smile, the index across his lips. Toshiko smiled back and sat down again. Gaara turned back to Aby; his face as serious as before. She felt a pinch in her heart; the _prince_ was not being _charming_ to her. She had done nothing wrong, but he was already treating her like a trouble maker.

She justified his behavior, reminding herself that she knew him well, but he did not know her. They were, after all, from different worlds. She took a deep breath and prepared for the obvious interrogation. Toshiko probably already told them everything, as impossible as the story may have seemed, he was probably just curious to know how different the story would be, coming from her.

He repeated his question one more time.

"Who are you."

"Abigail," she answered.

"Which village are you from?"

"I'm not from here ... I'm—"

"Yeah, I know you're not from here," he interrupted her, annoyed. "Which village are you from? Which country?"

"No, I meant, I, hum, we are not from this world," she pointed to the kids and herself, "We—"

Gaara slightly raised his hand; a light web of sand lifted from the ground and twirled around them. His brow-less frown was intimidating. This time, instead of flowers and bubbles, she was sure tiny little spiders were floating on strings of webs around him, evilly grinning at her with their red creepy little eyes.

"That load of crap you're throwing at me is too heavy to carry. You better lighten it up before I throw it back at you."

_He's angry, _she thought. She was getting nervous.

"But—"

"As you witnessed firsthand last night, I'm not in a very good mood. Since you appeared, my village took a hit and a third of our buildings crumbled down. Now I have to feed and shelter families who have nowhere to go ... because of you! WHO ARE YOU!? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

Kankuro frowned, concerned. This was not going the way he expected. Why was he suddenly so aggressive towards the girl?

Abigail was getting frightened. What did he mean "since she appeared"?

"I don't know ..."

Gaara suddenly grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up with one hand. Toshiko somehow found the courage to move forward.

"H-Hey! I already told you everything! Why are you doing this to Onee-chan? She didn't do any—"

Gaara pushed him to the ground with one hand and Aby suddenly felt enraged.

"HEY! L-Leave him alone, you ... dirtbag!" she said as she tried to break free from the hand that was choking her. "...What's your problem? F-First you tend to us ... and then you want to ... kill us? "

"Easy little brother …" Kankuro said while helping the boy back up. "Them kids didn't do anything, and frankly, we don't know for sure she's the culprit ... what's with you?"

"Look at her! Look at them! They are clearly not from here! She might ask them to do stuff, and no one would ever suspect anything since they are kids!"

His men watched him perplexed.

"Gaara, what are you talking about ... they're just kids!"

"Oh yeah? I used to be just a kid too! A loooooong time ago!" hi hissed.

Gaara never left his eyes from Abigail. She started to feel pain from his hand around her neck. She was still up high, and started to feel heavy as her body was pulling down. Her hands started to shake, trying to hold onto his arm; his fingers were digging into her neck. His face was scary. What was going on inside his head? Where was the gentle and kind Gaara she loved so much in the manga and anime? Where was the caring Gaara that was tending to her wounds just a few hours ago? None of this made sense ... She met his eyes and teared up.

He felt something ... her tears, her eyes were inducing something. Just like before ... something he had never felt before, but he was not going to let that girl use whatever jutsu she was using to soften him. He shook off the pin on his heart by shaking his head and tightened the grip. She gasped for air and the tears ran down.

"Don't think for a second that those eyes of yours will help you. I don't know what you are doing to me but it is not going to work!" He threw her on the ground and put a foot on her chest to hold her down.

"Gaara! That's enough! What is wrong with you? It's not like you!" yelled Kankuro.

Aby was helpless, she didn't know what he was talking about. Doing what to him? She was not doing anything! She sobbed and looked at his enraged eyes. She was scared and confused. Could he be different after all? Was it really Naruto's world? Or was it Naruto's world with some kind of twist? Her mind turned to Kankuro. He did mention that it was not like him. She tried to calm down, her hands still on his foot, but she loosened her grip and looked straight in his eyes.  
"I know ... I know I look different to you. I know ... I'm ... aware that …" she sobbed and tears ran down again. She was trying so hard to keep calm, and for now, at least, he was listening.

"What I say doesn't make sense. I don't understand either ... OK? I don't know how we got here! But you ... you want to put the blame on me? Go ahead! But of all the people, you ... you should know better than to treat a kid like that! He did nothing! He can't do anything! He's just a kid! You should know, right? How it feels to be a kid and not being able to do anything?

Gaara just stared, in complete shock of the truth that just slapped him in the face. He removed his foot slowly, backed away three steps and looked around. The little girl was still crying and was hiding behind the boy who was shaking in fright. His brother just stared at him disapprovingly and the other man was looking down, avoiding eye contact…

Shame suddenly overcame him. He looked back at her, still on the ground, too afraid to move. She didn't look anything like a trouble maker. Quite the opposite in fact; he could now clearly see that she looked vulnerable. She had no weapons, no protective gear. She was bruised everywhere. She did not even attempt to attack him; everything that happened, he realized with disgust, 'he' started it, and Kankuro was right: that was not like him "_not anymore,"_ he thought.

There was a time, he would have killed her on the spot; now, very few things got to him. He always studied before he attacked. He had seen many things in his young life so far; extraordinary things, wonderful things, terrifying things ... why was he suddenly so defensive and aggressive towards a girl?

"I ..."

He couldn't release the rest of the words … "I'm sorry" wouldn't cut it. He just turned away and walked towards his tent. He picked up the bowl he had thrown on the ground earlier and gave it to Kankuro.

"I need to cool off. I don't know what came over me. Give her some food, and let me know when they get here."

"_Who's 'they' ?" _ she wondered, still shaking. The man she did not recognize helped her back up. And Kankuro gave her the bowl that she was so anxious to get at the beginning. She took it but did not eat heartily. She was no longer hungry. She looked back towards his tent. He had already disappeared inside.

_What was that all about?_

"Yeah...sorry about that. I'm not sure what's wrong with him." said Kankuro.

"Didn't he say he was in a bad mood because of the state Suna is in?" the other man asked.

"Huh, I don't know, Kankuro said, sitting beside his comrade. "He does care a lot for his people, but he usually doesn't lose his cool like that."

He had a concerned look on his face. He turned towards Aby.

"So … Abigail, was it? Quite a different name!"

Abigail didn't know what to say. Was this all real? She looked up at the perfect clouds and jump in surprise ... she couldn't believe she did not think of this before!

"I'm dead!" she announced, staring at the fire, eyes wide opened.

The man across from her choked on the water he was drinking and it poured down his brown Suna uniform.

"Huh?"

"Of course!" she said, clapping her hands. She felt the sudden relief from the realization. "It makes so much sense! The earthquake; I must have died while everything was collapsing! I love Naruto so much that this must be my personal heaven!"

The men looked at each other, confused. She was in love with Naruto? What did heaven had to do with it? Naruto was not even here!

"I mean, yeah sure, I thought there would be angels with white wings and walking bare feet on clouds or something, but nobody knows exactly what heaven looks like, right? Except that is supposed to be beautiful, and look at this place! The colors, the water, the air, the colors!"

"You already said that last one," said Toshiko.

She looked at the children. Tori was smiling, not understanding what she was saying, but seeing that she was happy made her smile. Toshiko, however, just looked confused.

"Oh no! You guys must be dead too! Oh! That's so sad!"

She frowned for a second, but smiled again. "Oh! but it's OK! We're in heaven!"

"What?! Now, hold on for a sec ..." started Kankuro.

"Don't want dead!" said Tori, who suddenly dropped the smile.

"Onee-Chan, we're not dead!"

"Oh you guys don't worry! Heaven is a wonderful place! Everything is so beautiful here, and there is no sadness, no pain, everything is pure joy…"

"... pure joy? No pain?" said Kankuro, inquisitive.

"..."

"..."

"OH MY GOD WE'RE IN HELL!" Aby suddenly had an anxiety attack and started to cry.

"This can't be! I didn't do anything wrong! Why am I in hell?! Oh! It's that guy I told off, right? And ... OH Noooo!"

Abigail stopped right in her tracks, her hands on her head and eyes full of horror.

"He saw my thoughts! God saw my impure thoughts! This is so embarrassing!"

The rest of the group just watched her rambling on to herself.

"Nii-San, what is 'impure thoughts'?" asked Tori to her brother.

"Ahhh…"

"Just wait, hold on! You're..."

"Please God! I was so lonely, I could only dream of romance and it might have gotten a little out of ..."

"Oh for crying out loud, will you shut up!" Kankuro demanded, his face all red. "People die every day here ... if it was heaven or hell, people would not be dying; there would be no pain, but there would be no joy either!"

... 

Gaara splashed water on his face. It was not even noon and he was already exhausted. What the hell was that all about. What was happening to him? Why was he so aggressive?

_It started yesterday_, he thought. They heard talking then; He told his men to stay back. He saw the kids first, picking up berries. He thought their clothing was odd, but he didn't feel so uneasy.

Then he saw _her_.

He let himself fall back; his sand, as usual, caught him like a cloud, gently forming some type of 'sand mattress'. He closed his eyes and rested his right arm over his face. Why did he feel threatened? She did look different; so did the kids. Of course he wouldn't feel threatened by kids. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered her looking out into the desert. He skillfully sneaked under the bridge before she turned around, which was typical Shinobi stuff. Her hair shone under the moonlight.

He could tell right away she didn't belong, but there was something else about her.

_Pretty,_ was his first thought, but so was Hakuto ... no ... Hakuto was beautiful...and yet, this was different ... he felt drawn right away ... like enchanted ... this was not normal ... witchcraft maybe?

Her skin was very pale and it was so easy to defeat her even if she had some ability with water ... _Like a child playing with new tricks for the first time_, he thought. When the kids told him they fell in a hole and ended up here, it seemed so stupid. However, looking at them, it was plain to see that their sudden presence was very odd and out of ordinary. He decided then that he would take a different approach, instead of killing her. He would remain cautious.

_Her eyes though ... _he brought his hands behind his head. They were strikingly beautiful. _I got lost in them last night, while I was tending to her wounds …_

He gasped.

"That's it!" he said to himself out loud. "She must be doing something with her eyes!"

"Now you're just being paranoid!"

Gaara screamed in fright from Abigail's sudden appearance. His sand pushed him up at full speed as his hands reached his side pockets and drew four shurikens in a matter of seconds. He threw them right at Abigail with a flick of his wrists. Aby's hands instinctively shielded her face. Two shurikens hit the sand wall behind her, while the remaining two bounced back to the sandy ground, from a solid water barrier that formed before she even raised her hands in defense. Both looked, in disbelief, at the shurikens and the water vessel that was now empty. To Gaara's surprise, the girl looked genuinely as shocked as he was.

"D-did I just do that?" she asked, her hands still raised.

Gaara seemed to wake up right then.

"NEVERMIND THAT! YOU CAN'T JUST COME IN HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION! I'M THE KAZEKAGE! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO JUST ENTER THE KAZEKAGE'S …" he took deep breaths to calm himself down and turned around, his hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You are right! I'm so, so sorry! Please forgive me Gaar ... ahhh ... I mean, Lord Gaara? Lord fifth? Kazekage?"

She couldn't remember how to formally address him. After all, all good readers just referred to him as "Gaara".

He sat back down on the sand mattress as she grabbed a random cloth on the floor and started cleaning the water with shaking hands.

"You startled me. How did you get in here without me noticing you?!"

"Oh! Well, I called out a few times but you didn't answer ... so I peeked in, I really wanted to talk to you and I didn't know if you would ... well ... I'm sorry. I just admire you a lot and I wanted to make things right!"

_She admires him?! _He glared at her, his eyes full of suspicion.

"If you're not of this world ... how do you know me to the point of admiration?"

"Oh I know you all right!" she laughed. "I know Kankuro too! And Temari! I know pretty much everybody ... except the other guy over there ... I don't know him."

He stiffened. _She knows Temari?!_

She felt his uneasiness. She let go of the cloth and looked up, still kneeling down.

"As I was saying before; my name is Abigail. I was on a leisure trip in Japan with 3 of my friends. We were in Hakone, in an Onsen for the night and were about to leave, when some earthquake happened and we got sepa—"

"An earthquake?" interrupted Gaara.

"Uh, yeah. It happened the night before too, but that one wasn't as big ... everything happened so fast! The ground, like, opened somehow, and me and those two kids fell in. But the fall was, like, forever! And there were flashes for a second, which I thought were lightnings. I remember it was very dark. But we kept falling! Then I just bumped into...well ..stuff and I think I lost consciousness. I woke up with a concussion, I think, 'cuz I was not feeling too good ... and then it was night and we were in a cave and the volcano wasn't there anymore and …"

"Wo wo wo ... a volcano? You said you were at a hot springs. You're going too fast! I can't understand what your saying!"

"OK, well, Hakone has hot springs and a volcano."

"Where is ... Hakone?"

"In Japan"

"OK, but this is Ame country ... we are now on the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Stones."

"I know that! But we were in … oh right," she remembered, whispering to herself, "you guys wouldn't know Japan … "

He stared at her for a moment and she became a little self conscious, looking away. He definitely calmed down and his demeanor was no longer threatening. He looked away as well and finally broke the silence.

"Hum, why are you …"

"Well, you wanted to know from the beginning, I wanted to show you that I mean no arm."

"Oh, no I meant, why are you kneeling?"

She blushed a little.

"Is-isn't this the formal way to speak to you?"

"N-no, not really …" he said a little bashfully.

"Oh!" She slowly stood up, embarrassed. It is true that no one ever spoke to a Kage while kneeling ... However, he looked so much like a prince that she was treating him like one.

Gaara's thoughts were spinning in his head.

_So basically, _he thought, _she was in her world with her friends; there was an earthquake and, somehow, ended up here._

"We had earthquakes here too," he said to her, then realized something. "How long have you and those kids been here, in this world?"

"Not sure...I was confused when I woke up and I felt sick and I know I might have slept for a long time ... maybe 2 days? 3 days? It was morning in Japan when the earthquake happened ... when I woke up, it was night time."

"Now that you mention it, the last earthquake was about 3 days ago. It was also a big one."

She remembered him telling her that his village was almost destroyed, since she got here; however, his facial expression softened for the first time since he tended to her. She and those children had been dragged into a mess they had nothing to do with.

She rubbed her arm, suddenly aware of a stubborn ache above her elbow. He frowned and reached in a small bag attached to his thigh. When he opened it, she could see the handle tips of small and neatly organized weapons. But what he reached for was a tiny tin container. He held out his hand.

"Your arm," he said. She extended it and, once again, he applied a paste to her arm. It smelled like mint and other herbs; it was just a bruise, but the paste had a cooling effect that made her feel better.

"I'm sorry," he simply said, while working on the green paste.

"It's OK,"

He shook his head as if to say "no, it's not"; but she gave a faint smile.

"Just don't do it again, OK?" she said, as a mother to a child after getting in trouble.

"I promise," he said smiling.

_Wow!_ she thought, _Gaara never smiles! _It was shy, but a killer nonetheless!

Gaara's eyes met hers and they locked in. He couldn't look away. He felt the same flutter in his stomach as before; only now, he realized what the flutter was, and it had nothing to do with witchcraft.

"Lord fifth?" They both jumped, startled.

"Yes Yashiko, What is it?"

"They're here!" his man said nervously as he entered the sand structure. He looked at Abigail. "And they're not alone …"

...

All five Shinobis stared at Aby and Sofia's reunion. First they screamed so loud that each party thought the girls were attacking each other; Then they both started to cry uncontrollably while throwing each other in each other's arms and retelling the unfortunate events in the most chaotic, confusing cacophony of random words, spilling out from their guts.

"... There was a cave and I lost consciousness …"

"... It was so bright! I couldn't see them anymore …"

"... started a fire that wouldn't start …"

"... only had Taiyaki and …"

"... the water started moving around!"

"... those squirrels! Those stupid squirrels attacked me! ..."

"... the fish were stuck in the bubble that was floating ... wait what? Squirrels attacked you out of nowhere?"

"What do you mean you made a floating water bubble?!"

"Squirrels don't attack people! What is this place?!"

"Apparently they do here! When you have a bag full of roasted chestnuts!"

"Ahhh so lucky! We were starving for two days until we found berries!"

"The squirrels took them! I didn't eat anything until I found them!"

Sofia pointed at Sasuke and Sakura. Aby seemed to notice them for the first time. Her eyes grew big with excitement, and so did her smile.

"Is that?"

"Hey you! What were you saying about the bubble of water and the fish?!" demanded Sofia with a frown.

"Oh ... I can control water, somehow …"

"Huh?!"

Sasuke and Sakura both looked at Gaara simultaneously.

"She has water release ability?" asked Sakura confused.

"I'm not sure," said Gaara. "She is definitely connected with water, however, I don't sense chakra in her. So I don't know how this could be possible," he answered.

"There is no chakra in her friend either. How they're still alive is a mystery to me."

"Aren't there people without chakra on earth?" asked Yashiko.

"Not that I know of," said Kankuro.

"Humans used to live without chakra long ago," said Sasuke, "it was only since Kaguya Ōtsutsuki came around that Chakra started to spread throughout generations; so it might not be impossible …"

"But you can't use element release without chakra! That's a fact!"

"Apparently she can," argued Kankuro.

"Not quite," said Gaara. "I don't think she 'controls' it per say. It's as if she just discovered she could. Usually, it takes years of practice to understand and use the element. It also takes time to understand the limit; overdoing it could be fatal. It took her only a few days; And there's more …"

"What do you mean?" asked Kankuro.

The two girls kept talking and crying at the same time. The children ran around them and Sofia picked up Tori who hugged her back. They were completely unaware of the eyes that were looking at them, perplexed.

"Something weird happened in my tent," continued Gaara, "when she came in, I was startled and acted defensively, by pure habit. My hands just reacted on their own and threw shurikens at her. Before she could raise her hands, the water from my vessel reached her, solidified, somehow, and protected her."

They all stared at him, letting his words sink in.

"You mean she stopped your shurikens from reaching her?"

"No, I mean the water stopped the shurikens before she gave a command …"

Kankuro's eyes widened.

"You mean ... like your sand automatically protects you?"

"Yes"

The sand team packed up. Gaara came out of his tent, with the big sand gourd he always carried. He swiftly threw his Kazekage cloak around his shoulder and pinned its front with both hands. While he did that, he gave a little kick at the bottom of his gourd which in turn, opened the cap. He then simply made a hand gesture and the 'sand tent' just collapsed, swooshed around in big spirals and gathered back into the big sand gourd he was already putting on his back.

Aby and Sofia watched the whole thing unfold, mesmerized.

"Wow! That's crazy magic right there!" Sofia whispered.

"That's not magic," Kankuro walked beside her and offered some water. "It's a mixture of magnet, earth and wind release. Gaara can control the sand at will!"

Sofia gasped and looked at Abigail.

"THAT'S GAARA? The creepy eyeliner guy?"

"Shhhhh! Yes, and he is not creepy! Keep your voice down! Also duh…did you see any other guys with the same outfit as my ... where is it?"

Aby looked around and in her bag; she realized for the first time that her chibi Gaara charm had disappeared.

"How would I know?! Those anime characters all look alike to me …" replied Sofia.

"Shush! They don't know they're …"

"What are you talking about? Characters?" asked Kankuro.

"Oh don't worry about it. What were you saying about Gaa ... I mean, Lord fifth?" said Sofia.

"He can control sand."

"Oh OK honey, that's what we call magic, where we are from." said Sofia.

"It's not magic! It has to do with the type of chakra ..."

Abi was still looking for the charm. A hand suddenly extended in front of her face; the little charm dangling from it.

"Looking for this?"

She looked at Gaara, holding his chibi form by the fingertips; she couldn't contain an amused smile. Gaara stopped walking, which made everyone halt.

"Funny thing you seem to know me inside and out, but your friend does not …"

"Oh, well, she doesn't ... huh ..."

How was she going to explain that they were manga and anime characters? Sofia sighed and obviously did not care about the sensitive subject.

"You guys are comic book characters ... also made into cartoons."

"Hey! Gentle! Not 'comic book'! Manga! And they are anime, not cartoons ... Japanese are much more artistic than the western world. You can't compare the two."

"Anyway, she knows all of you, " she vaguely pointed at them and all around her. "But I don't, sorry ... I'm not into anime or cartoons …"

"Tori likes Pokemon!" Tori shouted excitedly.

They all stared at both of them, not knowing what to make of this new information. There was also "insult" mixed with the feeling of shock and confusion.

Gaara gave back the charm to Aby, who took it while blushing. He gave the thing one last look and rolled his eyes before turning around to face forward, as if to say "that thing looks nothing like me".

"I'm sorry about my friend ... we're not saying you guys aren't real or anything …" It did cross her mind though.

Gaara stopped walking for a moment, seemingly thinking about something.

"Before we go on, I think it would be better to properly introduce ourselves."

Gaara turned towards Sofia.

"My name is Gaara. I am the Kazekage, the leader of Sunagakure; the village hidden in the sand. This is my older brother Kankuro, and this is a new jonin who is in his first mission as my bodyguard; Yashiko …"

"Why is it hidden?"

"... I'm sorry?"

"The village, why is it hidden? Is it, like, under the sand?" asked Sofia.

"Huh ... n-no"

Abigail snorted.

"It's more of an expression ... like, 'in the midst of'. I'll explain later," she said.

Aby introduced themselves to the shinobis, who did the same in return. Of course she knew them already but it was a strange feeling to see that it was only one sided. Maybe that is how celebrities felt in a crowd. She was getting excited by the possibility of seeing the rest of the gang ... especially Naruto! She was trying to picture him.

"How's Naruto?" she asked Sakura.

"You know Naruto too?"

"Everyone knows Naruto!" answered Aby and Sasuke at the same time.

"Hum, he's OK I guess …"

"Is he studying to become the Hokage now?"

Sakura looked ahead, visibly uncomfortable.

"Y-yeah …"

"Oh that is so cool! Hey! Shikamaru is helping him out right?"

"OK, I get that you know everyone, but I don't know you, so ... would you kindly stop with the personal questions?" Sakura said in a harsh tone. She kept walking catching up to Sasuke. Sofia looked puzzled; Sakura was not like that with her.

"OK" Aby said, a little hurt. She was so much into the story and the characters that she automatically assumed that she would be friends with them, which was silly. She remembered how Gaara attacked her earlier. She looked his way and saw that he too was looking at her; having probably witnessed the full exchange. She felt stupid, and like an excited kid who was put back into her place, she just looked down and kept quiet.

"Where are we going?" Sofia asked.

"We are bringing you girls and the children to Amegakure and we will part from there," said Sasuke.

"What? Why?! What are we supposed to do from there? How are we getting back home?" Sofia inquired. She turned to Aby.

"Where is Amegakure?" asked Sofia, running along.

"Oh ... that's ... uhhh …" Abigail turned to Sasuke. "Where is Amegakure?"

"Right ahead."

Sasuke pointed to the horizon, where a tower rose, surrounded by other peaks and irregular shapes.

Gaara sighed. His head was full of questions.

"I'm not sure that we should leave them behind."

Sasuke turned to Gaara for a moment, before speaking, as if choosing his words.

"We shouldn't have them following us. They can't fight, they can't defend themselves, they would be in the way. They are not our mission."

"I agree, but they are definitely involved. They appeared since the last earthquake. According to her story," he discreetly pointed towards Aby, "they were dragged here along with the last earthquake. For some reason, it appears the earthquakes were shared in both worlds."

Sasuke kept silent. He also noticed there has been no more earthquakes since the last one. No tremors either.

Aby was still looking down, disappointed with the turn of events. Something distracted her in the distance, to their left. She kept on walking while looking. There was nothing there, only sand and rocks. But she felt uneasy; watched. She looked at the shinobis who did not show any concerns.

_Must be my imagination_, she thought. If someone would know they are being watched, it would definitely be a shinobi.

Not too far from there, in the shadows, a man was staring, low on the burning sand. The man licked his lips and a wicked smile formed on his face.

"Gotcha!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Lord Kazekage! Oh! And the legendary Sakura! It is an honor to …"

The leader of the small village noticed the strangers with them, but it was Sasuke that put a concerned frown on his face. Sasuke glanced away. Sakura was quick to come to his defense.

"My comrade, here, thought Amegakure was a good choice to help our new friends; Lord Kazekage agreed as well. As you can see, they are not from here and have had better days." She kept quiet on the fact that the village was also conveniently on their way. The leader eased up.

"The legendary heroes of the war are always welcome here!" He bowed politely, including to Sasuke. He then turned to Aby and her party.

"Welcome to the village hidden in the …"

He had not finished his sentence that a heavy rain suddenly poured on them. He laughed out loud and extended his arms to receive the water.

"Why, the village hidden in the rain! Ha Ha!"

The buildings looked familiar to Abigail, she kept looking around her. Everything was grey and very much industrialized. There was a statue of an angel with wings, adorning the grand entrance of the main tower.

"Here! Here! Let's get you dried up! My name is Jagu, please make this your home for the time being!"

"Your hospitality is very much appreciated!" Gaara said, lowering his head with respect.

Tori and Toshiko chased each other in the hall while Gaara was explaining the reason for their sudden visit.

"I see," Jagu said after hearing the story, "what a very strange thing to occur!"

"I see your buildings are still standing, what a lucky thing!" said Gaara.

"Ame's architecture is one of the strongest against the elements! Those earthquakes were barely noticed here! Although the last one was kinda scary."

"I guess that makes sense! You specialize in technology here. I had a lot of tech coming from Ame for our children's clinic!"

"And It has been an honor! Such a humbling and beautiful thing to be a part of!"

"Oh yeah!" Yashiko added. "Even Lord Gaara had Sakura senpai train some of our people in Suna!"

Sakura blushed at the mention of "senpai", which to her, was unnecessary. Yashiko continued.

"My eldest brother works in the newly set up department! He keeps on talking about her and praising her!" he said, smiling at her. Which made her blush even more. She giggled and waved her hand.

"Oh, ha ha, it's no big deal, really!"

"No seriously! You are quite popular among us in Suna, Sakura senpai! We have so many children who needed help!" he continued, "But now, part of it has been destroyed because of the earthquake."

They all looked at Aby and Sofia.

"Hey! Don't look at us! We have nothing to do with this!" Sofia said.

Gaara quickly changed the subject to bring up their main purpose.

"We need to go to the Land of Birds. The Tsuchikage awaits us there. However, we …"

"Lord Jagu! Sir!"

Two men came in a hurry, one of them carrying an unconscious man on his back. He too was also dressed in unusual clothes; All black. However, Aby and Sofia never saw him before.

"What on earth?!"

Sakura jumped down from the chair to assess the unconscious man.

"Another one!"

What she meant to say was: "another one without chakra". She proceeded to heal him, using her healing ability. In the meantime, a hawk came through a high ceiling opening, his wings were heavy from the rain. He went straight to Sasuke who took the tiny scroll out of its claws. The bird extended his wings on Sasuke's shoulders and stretched its tail before giving each feather a small shake to dispose of the water.

The man in his early fifties, slowly woke up, looking around, but he did not talk; If he was shocked by his surroundings, he did not let it show.

"Can you tell us who you are?" asked Jagu.

"We found him behind the slaughterhouse. We heard loud shouts there, so we went in the back to investigate, and there he was, unconscious."

The man did not answer. He looked around, examining his surroundings. His face showed no emotion, until he saw one of the men holding a bag; His bag.

"May I kindly ask to have my belongings back," he said, stretching out his hands towards the bag.

The Ame man looked at Jagu for instruction who in turn, looked at Aby and Sofia.

"Is he with you?"

The girls shook their heads. He definitely was from their world, but they never saw him before. Aby looked to Toshiko.

"You guys know him?" she whispered. He also shook his head.

"Search the bag first," Jagu finally answered to the man holding the bag. The newcomer let him do so without any protest, patiently waiting. They were all on edge, waiting to see what the Ame shinobi would pull out. It was only one wooden box, quite beautifully designed. The man opened it and pulled out a pen; a cheap one by the looks of it. In the box was also a five inch key: mostly simple, made of a dark grey metal.

"What is this?"

"Well, It's a key. What's it look like?" answered the man in black.

"A key for what?" replied Jagu, annoyed.

"A key to unlock a door," replied the man, nonchalantly. He took the box and the bag from the Ame man and put the box back in it.

"My name is Akio Daisuke," he said calmly. "You can call me Akio."

He waited for a reaction that didn't come so he shrugged his shoulders, put the bag on his back and helped himself to some fruits that were on the table. The children were already hiding behind Aby, which was not unnoticed by the newcomer.

"Oh please, do not be so worried; I am but a gentle soul who is quite lost, although … not really," he whispered that last part to himself, eating some of the bread on the table. "Mmmm, very interesting," he said, taking a quick look at the bread while eating it. He studied his surroundings once more. "This is the central building, the leader's tower in Amegakure, right?"

They all stared at him, puzzled. He acted so casually, to the point of rudeness, and yet, everyone was too shocked to say anything. He helped himself to another serving. The heavy sound of the rain stopped suddenly. He smiled and looked at his watch on his wrist.

"Change of plan," Sasuke said to break the silence, without leaving his eyes from Akio. He held the note that the hawk brought. "They are coming with us. And you too," he looked at the man in black who stopped chewing, surprised.

"Sofia, you said you were with two other friends besides Abigail. Konoha encountered a man and a woman, who were in bad shape; the man more than the other."

Aby let out a shriek and the children looked at her, surprised.

"Is it Matthew and Hazel?!" she asked almost certain of it. Sofia waited for the answer as well, anxious. Sasuke nodded.

"But you said they're in bad shape! How much of a bad shape are we talking here?" asked Abigail.

"Where are they now? " inquired Sofia.

"They're fine. Only shaken and bruised. The man had a broken arm but they are working on it. They are at the Konoha Hospital."

"So now what?" asked Yashiko.

"Now, we need to find out why they're here and how to bring them and their friends back. But more importantly, what the hell is going on in the Land of Birds.

I believe I can explain, somewhat." Akio exclaimed, to everyone's surprise. "But first, let's agree to rest here for the night. It was a rather long and uncomfortable few weeks for me, as I am sure you can tell by my appearance." Aby thought that he did, indeed, look tired and beaten. But why was he suddenly taking charge was beyond herself. He glanced at his watch again.

"Besides, it is too late to go out. A severe storm is coming in a few seconds."

"What? It just stopped raining! Look at the sky over there, you can see the sun coming through!" Yashiko said annoyed.

"Actually ..." started Jagu. But Yashiko was already moving on.

"What do you think, Lord Gaara? Won't we be wasting time if we stay? It's only mid afternoon!"

"I agree with Yashiko. We should leave—"

Thunder roared in the distance. The faint "drumming roll" of pouring rain started far off in the distance and grew louder and louder every second, until the rain savagely pounded on the roof above their heads. Tori cried at the loud thunder, which took Abigail by surprise, since she and Toshiko were living on the street. She put a reassuring arm around her shoulders, which was not unnoticed by the Kazekage.

"Well?" Akio inquired, grinning. "Where do I sleep?"

... 

The next morning's sun rays woke Aby. The two children were peacefully snoring while glued to her. When was the last time they had a good night's sleep? The guest room was very large and so was the bed. There was a painting of the same lady with the wings. Then she remembered.

"Konan!"

It was an avalanche of realizations; This was Pain and Konan's hideout. This place was also where Jiraiya, Naruto's sensei, died, fighting with Pain, one of the Akatsuki group. She looked out the window. It was still raining. Somehow, after the war, the village must have been at peace with the other countries. She remembered, it used to be 'full security' just to get inside! Now, everybody was treated as friends. She wondered how long ago the war ended. She noticed that Gaara, Sakura and Sasuke looked a little more mature than in the show, but then again, they looked different in real life …

Was this even real life? She carefully got off the bed and walked passed the heavy doors; looked at the main hall, which was a circle on the very top floor, surrounded by all the other guests' rooms. She was in one of the east side. On the north side, beside one of the doors, the man named Yashiko was soundly sleeping in a sitting position, on the ground. Why wasn't he sleeping in a bed? She decided to let him sleep and went down the huge staircase. An older lady was cleaning the floor. She tried to carry the heavy bucket to a room. Seeing she was struggling, Aby took it from her and helped her carry it.

"Oh! No! My lady, you shouldn't! You are a guest of Lord Jagu …"

"I'm no one," she said smiling. "It's heavy, let me carry this for you."

"Oh my, my! You are so very kind!"

"No worries! Right here is OK right?"

Aby put the bucket down in what looked like a big conference room. Two people were sitting and chatting. The girl turned around when she heard the voices.

"Oh! Aby! 'Morning!" Sofia cheerfully said, holding a glass with some liquor in it. Aby laughed.

"Seriously? First thing in the morning?"

"Well Kangaroo here promised me it tasted better in the morning! I must say, he was right!"

"Urg, It's Kankuro!" he replied before taking a sip. He offered some to Abigail. She waved her hand in response.

"I'd accept food though!"

"Oh right, you didn't eat much since we found you!" He threw her an apple.

"Thanks! Why is Yashiko sleeping on the floor?"

Kankuro snorted in his drink.

"He is 'guarding' the Kazekage," he said, mockingly.

"He is still learning," Gaara said, coming from behind her. He took the glass away from his older brother and poured the liquid out in one of the giant plants along the wall.

"Oi! I wasn't finished!"

"You are now." he retorted with a serious tone.

"Yashiko is in training?" asked Aby.

"Yes," Gaara started, "he means well, but he has a lot to learn."

Kankuro laughed.

"Did he even flinch when you came out?"

"He kept snoring," he answered with a faint smile.

Sofia lifted her glass to eye level. The sunshine coming through one of the giant windows reflected in it like a beautiful crystal of many hues. The sun was now shining outside. Which seemed to be a rare event in Amegakure.

"We should probably leave soon!" Akio said, suddenly appearing from the main floor's balcony. The marbled floor was so shiny that they could see the reflection of his shoes as he was walking. The sun made the golden color walls shine. It was a beautiful large room! Aby wondered if they ever had grand formal receptions in it.

"Why should we go so soon?" she asked him.

"No particular reasons; only that it will be convenient before the rain pours down again … in about an hour or so."

Gaara watched Abigail stand up and walk towards the balcony. She took another bite of the "perfectly red and shiny" apple. She looked at the blue sky where there were no clouds in sight. She could hear Sofia in the background.

"Are you some kind of weather specialist or something?"

Sasuke came into the room, looking cranky. He obviously did not have a good night's sleep. He took the bottle on the table and attempted to cool his face with it.

"Are you OK? You look feverish ...", said Kankuro. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"No, no. I'm fine. Thanks."

Sakura cheerfully came hopping in the room, followed by a very red Yashiko, at last.

"Good morning Buddy!" Kankuro mockingly said to him. He mumbled a "morning" followed by an even quieter "sorry".

"It was probably my fault!" Sakura said, smiling. "I must have kept him up last night! We got carried away, talking about medical ninja stuff. He's pretty knowledgeable!"

She looked at Sasuke, surprised to see him, suddenly drinking directly from the bottle. His face was red.

"Hey! Are you alright?"

She touched his forehead. He jerked back away from her hand and nodded, while taking another gulp. Akio smiled at him and Sakura; so did Sofia, her hand under her cheek.

"Probably another sweet dream," she said casually.

"PFFFFFFFT!" Sasuke spit the liquid and coughed furiously.

"I SAID I AM FINE! THERE WAS NO DREAMS! OK? NO DREAMS!"

"Thank you for your hospitality," said Gaara, bowing to the village's leader.

"Not at all! I wish I could help more!"

... 

Gaara took the lead, followed by Kankuro and Yashiko, Sasuke and Sakura and finally the girls, the children and Akio. Aby looked at the children, still amazed at how resilient they were. Tori, however, was walking funny. She stopped to look at her feet.

"Oh Tori! You should have told me!" Her toes had blisters from all the walking. She grimaced as she remembered how she used to hate having blisters when she was young; everytime she would get new shoes, she'd be suffering.

She sat her down on a big rock, and used some water to wash them. She looked around to find something to wrap her feet with. Sakura gave her a roll of bandages and a few green leaves.

"Here, put these on her feet first."

"Oh! Thank you! That's actually perfect!"

"Mmm," she watched Aby wrap the bandage around Tori's little feet.

"... He's gonna have a baby …"

"What? Who?"

"Naruto"

"WHAT!?" Aby beamed excitedly. "Naruto? A baby? He's gonna be a dad?!"

"I know, right?" Sakura smiled.

"Well, good for them!" she said, laughing. That was unexpected!

"And yes, Shikamaru is helping him and apparently Naruto's driving him nuts."

"What a drag," Aby mocked, which made Sakura snicker.

"So ... How much of 'our story' do you know?"

"Uhm, from the time you all started at the academy until the end of the war. Oh, and some side stories" she glanced at Gaara, remembering Hakuto.

"I know Shikamaru and Temari were engaged! Are they married now?" Gaara glanced their way at the mention of his sister.

"Yes, since last year! Sai and Ino are also going strong and oh! And Choji is dating Karui from Kumo! That one, nobody saw it coming ha ha!"

"Oh … Uhm … Karui?"

"Yes, you know, she was sent to get killer-B back from the Akatsuki, she beat Naruto to a pulp?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes!"

_Wow! A lot has happened since the books ended_. She looked at Sakura.

"And you? How are you doing?" Aby gave her a friendly smile.

"I started a program for the children who've been traumatized after the war. Some of them have lost their parents, some others have emotional traumas and behavioral issues, understandably."

Aby knew that since she was not talking about it, there was nothing new between her and Sasuke. She did not ask any further.

"What you're doing is pretty cool! Those children need the support the most, I think."

"I think so too!" Sakura smiled. "I see you have two under your care?"

"I don't really know much about them. We were visiting a hot springs and they just happened to be there. The boy was getting beat up by three men. I think he was stealing food or something. Apparently it's normal over there but I couldn't stand it. So I got in between…"

"Why?"

Gaara's interruption had startled Abigail. He was looking their way with a curious frown. It took a few seconds for her to reply, as she felt judged for something she absolutely knew she was right. Yet, it seemed all shinobis eyes were waiting for her response.

"What do you mean 'why'?!" she asked, defensive, "because he was getting beaten up by three grown men, that's why!"

Her sudden change of tone made the rest of the group uneasy. Toshiko did not like the way the conversation was turning. Angry people, especially men, made him nervous. Gaara, even if he didn't look angry, made him nervous. The silent anger, according to Toshiko, was the most dangerous. He grabbed his sister's hand and instinctively walked behind Aby, watching nervously. After all, they were talking about him …

Akio observed from the sidelines, seemingly interested in Gaara's reaction.

"He was stealing food, why did you help him?" Gaara asked.

"You don't beat up a kid because he steals food to survive! You help him! Or at the very least, you give him some slack! You can't leave a kid to fend for himself and then beat him up because he steals food to survive!"

"You were not even from there, you and your friends were visiting … why did you bother, this had nothing to do with you?"

"And there's the problem!" she pointed at him accusingly, or rather, she pointed at his words. "Everybody always turns a blind eye! 'Not my problem', right? I don't get it...why is caring such a freaking taboo? Is 'caring' some kind of … forbidden jutsu? Why is it so hard to care, Lord Kazekage?"

The words were harsher than she meant them to be. Especially the last part; which was an indirect accusation of not caring enough as the ruler of a village; which was pretty rude.

A few very uncomfortable seconds of silence followed and made Aby feel like an idiot. The blank expression he wore made her uneasy. Kankuro watched nervously as his brother walked slowly towards her; he stopped a few inches short.

"I do care, that's why I became Kazekage," he said quietly. He reached for Tori, lifted her up effortlessly and carried her on his shoulders, his gourd providing extra support on her back.

"Woaaaa! Tori so tall! Ha ha ha!"

Aby lowered her eyes. Of course he did care … he went through worse than that. People used to shun him just because they were afraid. His own father tried to kill him several times when he was just a child! He was treated only as a weapon and never had the love a kid should've had. She really felt stupid.

"I'm sorr …"

Gaara interrupted her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I was raised in a society that gave no voice to children. It makes me happy that you gave them one."

He squeezed her shoulder before heading back ahead of the group; Tori was happily giggling. Aby smiled and couldn't help but to feel a pinch of jealousy as she watched her play with his hair.

"Dam, that girl is lucky!" she whispered to herself. Sasuke approached her.

"Naruto would have appreciated it as well," he said as he passed her to follow Gaara.

"He's right," added Sakura. You're a special girl.

"I'm nothing special; just have a big mouth."

"And a super 'care power'," added Sofia as she hugged Aby.

"A super care jutsu," corrected Akio with a smile.

Aby smiled back, while observing him. So he knew about jutsus as well. She knew he was definitely familiar with this world but he was still a mystery. He did not talk very much, rather, he observed. She was certain she didn't know him, but there was something familiar about him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I was rude." Sakura said, cutting Abigail's wonders short.

"Oh no! I was out of line … I'm sorry … I feel like I know you guys inside out, just from the anime and the manga, but I keep forgetting that I'm a stranger to you."

The new comrade followed closely, observing Abigail with a frown.

"You must also be scared," Sakura asked. "Not knowing how to go back …"

"Well, a little … I mean, a moment I was in the real world and now …" Sakura looked down as Aby visibly regretted her words.

"What makes you think we are not real?" asked Kankuro, finally giving in to the insult. He was a few meters away, jumping from tree branches to tree branches. Sofia watched him, amused.

"Oh! No...I didn't mean...well...I know I said it, but even if you are not real in my world, you obviously are, here … in this world …" said Aby.

"Maybe you're the ones who are not real in this world … but real in yours …" he retorted.

"Our respective worlds were both created," said Akio, nonchalantly and they all turned to him in surprise.

"That cross around your neck should tell you this much!" he added, pointing to Aby's necklace.

The cross was given to her by her mother a long time ago. She never removed it; she showered with it, she slept with it; she practically forgot that it was around her neck. It was true; their world was created by God … but wasn't this a little different?

"Well, yeah, bu …"

"But what? Our world was created, just like this one. Each person is a character, the story of the savior was planned from the very beginning, by God. The "goal" has been achieved; we still live on, just like in this world. Our world is no more real than this one.

"Y-yes, I guess you are right, I didn't see it that way."

_Wow That was deep,_ she thought.

"Well, as a gatekeeper, you still have a lot to learn," he said, smiling.

"... A what now?"

"A gatekeeper; a person who guards the gate between two given worlds, and there are many! Therefore, many gatekeepers. In this case, you and your friends have been sucked in when the gate opened."

"Huh?!"

"So it was her fault!" Suddenly said Gaara with a chill down his spine, although it could have been Tori who was pulling the hair on his neck. Aby spun in shock.

"No! I didn't open anything! I didn't even know that something like that would happen!"

"No,no … the gate was opened by someone, in a very unorthodox fashion; that is a fact. You see, only the gatekeepers have the power to go through the gate … but if the "door" is not properly managed and gets too wide, so to speak, then anything in its path will be sucked in."

They stared at him, eyes wide open, trying to filter this new wave of information.

"So you're saying, a gate, between our two worlds was somehow opened?" asked Sasuke, unconvinced.

"Yes … and no."

"What does that mean?" said Kankuro annoyed. "Was it opened or not?"

"Obviously, since we are here … but the gate can only be opened with 'the key' by a gatekeeper," he said, referring to the famous key from before, "However, this gate was somehow forced open … using the key, without the power of the gatekeeper. It's like forcing the lock on a door, but in this case, the gate will not be contained and its energy will spread in between the worlds in a chaotic way, which will create some … side effects, so to speak."

Gaara's eyes widened. He looked at Aby.

"Like … earthquakes"

"Yes … and lightning and heavy rain, possibly tornadoes, and other natural disasters of some sort; when the gate is open the right way, the energy is contained in a perfect limited boundary, resembling an oval shape, only through the power that the gatekeeper inherited from God. The gatekeeper can then pass through, without being noticed. But in the rare case of an non contained gate, the energy will suck in whatever or should I say, whoever is in its path, throwing them in random directions,"

"Like the path of a lightning!" It was now Sasuke who broke the silence. "I see! We saw two beams of lights during the last earthquake. Those must have been how you came into our world!" he said to Sofia.

"We saw one near Suna,'' said Gaara. He looked at Abigail, implying that the light he saw must have been her and the children.

"One of the beams seemed to be coming from Konoha!" Added Sakura, hitting her palm with her fist, "that could have been your other friends!" she said to Aby.

It all started to make sense, but Aby still had questions...when the hell did she become a gatekeeper?! A power inherited from God?

"Who opened the gate?" she asked Akio.

"That I don't know … and I don't know the reason either. All I know is a few weeks ago, I was on my morning run, on a secluded trail, and got abducted by men. Somehow, they knew I was in possession of that key and brought me to some weird places. I was blind folded so I couldn't see anything. But I believe there were three of them. They tried to open the gate several times, demanding I tell them how. They beat me and threatened me; eventually they succeeded. I couldn't see their faces, but I know that one of them is from this world. I heard him say it to the others."

"Huh? How is it possible? How did he get access to your world without opening the gate in the first place? And if he did find a way, why would he need the key to open it again?" asked Yashiko.

"This is where I am puzzled … I don't understand. Somehow, that person found a loophole and knew about this gate and our world."

Aby studied him.

"How do you know all that? What makes you so sure that I'm a … gatekeeper?"

"For the same reason you think there is something familiar about me!" he smiled.

Something in her head clicked and she suddenly felt that she knew who he was.

"And why do I feel that there is something familiar about you?"

"Because I'm a gatekeeper too!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The conversation was suddenly fascinating. He had told them that he was not this world gatekeeper, but the kidnappers must have known that he was "a" gatekeeper in since they were so persistent in trying to open the gate. He tried to tell his kidnappers that he would not be able to open the gate since he was not the keeper of "this world". But seeing that he had it's key, they did not believe him. They tried themselves many times, while holding the key, and eventually succeeded in having him try. He had the power to open a gate, but not the power to control "this" gate, even if he had the key; it wasn't his. Abigail felt somewhat at ease with him. Although supernatural, she felt a strong connection. Perhaps that is what he meant by "something familiar"? They were both the same, so, they were somehow connected? She meant to ask him how it got in possession of "this key", but was interrupted by a new conversation taking place between the shinobis. Her friend came in between.

"We are no longer going to the Birdies place?" Sofia said, surprised by the sudden change of plans.

They stopped at the fork of the trail, where Gaara put Tori down. The north side was going further up the hill, leading to a rocky and lush green path. The south side led down to a beautiful dry landscape. The golden sand was seemingly infinite and mirrored the sun on the horizon. There was a stream of water running from the rocks, nearby. The Shinobis and Akio filled up several gourds of water, preparing for the trip. Gaara handed Aby, Sofia and Toshiko a few gourds. He smiled at the boy.

"You are in charge of your sister's water. Do not let her or yourself dehydrate!"

Toshiko nodded proudly.

"Will you be OK walking on your own for a little bit?" he asked Tori who was beaming with gleaming eyes. It seems she was suddenly in love with the Kazekage.

"Uh uh!"

He turned to Aby and Sofia.

"Sasuke was right about you not going to the Land of Birds. It could be dangerous and you could indeed get in the way. However, we cannot simply leave you behind either, so we came to an agreement. Kankuro will go with Sakura and Sasuke to meet with Lord Onōki in the Land of Birds; the rest of us will be going to Suna, and then, decide what to do next."

Gaara was anxious to go back; he felt the need to accompany his brother to Ame since the incident, but knew he couldn't stay away for too long. The state of the village was not good. However, he saw some positive in the destruction of the old structures; it was an opportunity to reinforce and solidify the architecture. That's how it was since he became Kazekage. Every single problem, he perceived as an opportunity.

_With time_, he thought, _Suna will be stronger_.

He thought about the deep hole that was created during the earthquake. Maybe he could find another source of water deep down and create another well. _Water _…

He turned towards Abigail and realized she was looking at him.

Aby lowered her eyes. His brain always seemed to be at work. He always seemed to be in deep thoughts. _Must be exhausting!_ She thought. She glanced back at him once he stopped looking her way.

Sofia found the glances exchange, back and forth, amusing. It has been about two hours they were walking, and neither of them spoke to each other.

"If you keep this up, your stares will make holes in his back!" she teased.

"I can't help it," she replied, still staring.

"Nee-Chan likes Gaaha San!" chanted Tori happily.

"Shhhhh!"

"See? Even the kid sees it ha ha!"

"I wasn't trying to hide it … I can't anyway … he's enchanted me."

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"What?" Aby said, as if this was the most ridiculous suggestion.

"Just tell him he's cute and you'd like to go for a coffee with him sometimes …"

Aby laughed.

"This is the Wind Country … they don't go for coffee … I think. Besides, Gaara is not cute; Gaara is … he's … well ..."

"You can't even justify why you like that creepy eyeliner guy …"

"... he's like a prince. Strong but so, so gentle … and,"

"Caring?"

"Yeah"

"His bro is good looking too …"

Aby rolled her eyes.

"This is an anime world. They're ALL good looking."

"True that … I would have gone for the hot guy number 3 but he's taken by the pink hair girl … Sakura, right?"

"Who, Sasuke? No, I don't think so. She's had a crush on him since forever, but he doesn't seem to return the feeling."

Sofia scoffed.

"Nonsense, it is the typical 'I love you but I'm in denial' type of thing."

"Well, a lot of fans ship them, but what makes you so sure?"

The sun was already high and the desert started to show its heating power. Aby kept staring at Gaara's back, while drinking from the water gourd. She told the kids to drink as well, even if they didn't feel the need.

"Sasuke is having some steamy dreams these days, and I know they are about Sakura because he can't keep eye contact with her," she giggled.

Gaara turned around and told them to make sure their head was covered, against the sun.

"Also make sure to drink water … do not worry about running out. We have plenty and will be at the village at nightfall anyway."

She could see the sweat of his face dripping down.

"He must be really hot with all this attire! I don't know how he can endure this …" Sofia said, wiping her neck with her hand.

"Yeah … he's hot all right."

Sofia looked at her with a wicked smile.

"I bet you'd wish you had those condoms now, right?"

Gaara, Yashiko and Akio got startled by the sudden shouts in their back. A very red Aby was chasing Sofia who was laughing hysterically. Tori were also chasing her, thinking they were playing a game.

"Just tell him you'd like your first time to be with him! There is nothing to be ashamed of, ha ha ha!"

"SHUT UP! They can hear you, DUMB-ASS!"

"Well, now they know you're single! You're welcome!"

Sofia stopped running and suddenly became serious. Aby looked in the direction Sofia was staring. A man, wearing a hot pink scarf on his head, ripped white shirt and jeans, was standing on top of a sand dune just a few meters away. The wind picked up and made his scarf fly behind his head, revealing strands of black hair, running down his neck. He was staring back at them in shock.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You!"

The man, frowning, ran down the dune, fast. Before he could reach Aby, a red shadow moved in between at the speed of light. Gaara grabbed him by the arm in full flight, and the man was on the ground facing down on the burning sand, a kunai on his throat, a foot on his back and his arm held tight.

The man on the ground smirked while coughing sand out of his mouth.

"Well, hello to you too!"

"It's him! Kiyo!" Sofia gasped.

"Seriously, why do you keep calling me that?" he replied, his face still on the sand floor.

"It's OK, he's with us," Aby put her hand on Gaara's, holding the kunai. "Well kinda … he's an acquaintance."

He met her eyes and softened his facial expression. He cautiously let him up.

"People here don't usually come flying at female acquaintances they barely know," he said glaring at him. Aby couldn't help but feel excited at this sudden cool outburst of heroism towards her.

"Yeah … sorry, I got a little overexcited to find people I know," he replied looking embarrassed. He got up and looked at Gaara from head to toe. "Cool cosplay man! And you got the ninja moves to go with it! "

"Excuse me?"

"Lucky me that wasn't a real knife there, ha ha!"

"That kunai is real."

"..."

"Hum, he's actually the real deal … we'll explain to you later." Gaara shifted from the man to Abigail in surprise. _Later?_

"This is Gaara! You know?" she continued, "from the anime Naruto?"

"No"

"Come on! You're Japanese! You have to know Naruto!"

"Never heard of it … I'm not really into anime … sorry. But It sure looks interesting!" he said looking back at Gaara who was still staring at Abigail, seemingly angry.

"Gaara! This guy's family is the owner of the Onsen I told you about … uhh …"

She realized she still didn't know his name.

"Chris! My name is Chris Nakimura!" he said smiling.

"Hey guys! Come say hi!" Aby waved her hand at Toshiko and Tori. Gaara, who was now watching Chris, noticed the children's shy reaction to him.

"Oh come on! Guys, he's the reason why you got your belly full when we first met!"

"Awww, only partly," he said, "how can one refuse an angry lady! I wanted to see the pretty smile again," he winked.

Akio glanced at Gaara and smiled at his disgusted expression. Yashiko got closer to Gaara, raising an eyebrow.

"This guy sounds like a total womanizer," he whispered.

"Hello," the kids said shyly.

"Oh good! You guys are learning English! That was good!"

"No, you are all speaking Japanese!" Toshiko said.

Chris shrieked in surprise. Sofia gasped and pointed at them.

"Oh my God! That's … how is that possible?!"

"You only notice now?" Abigail said.

"I never even realized!"

"I don't know, I don't understand either. Come to think of it, at the time I wasn't well, so I didn't want to ponder on that. Toshiko said they don't speak English, but we sure don't speak Japanese, so … I don't know."

"You are both speaking your own language …" Everyone turned to Akio once more. _Now what?_

"I can explain while we are on our way, I believe Lord Gaara is anxious to get back to Sunagakure."

Gaara just stepped forward towards Sunagakure, visibly annoyed; but Aby didn't seem to notice.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to see it!" Abigail said, excitedly, "let's go! There'll be food and shelter, then you can tell us what happened on your side!"

Gaara stopped, took a loud deep breath and sighed heavily, Yashiko almost bumped into him.

"Who said he was coming?"

A heavy silence fell on the desert floor. The wind picked up and made Gaara's hair move. His eyes, fixed upon Aby's, showed annoyance. Obviously, in normal circumstances, he would have welcomed the stranger in his village, but once again, his head played tricks on him. There was something about that guy he didn't like. He was waiting for Aby to reply, itching for a confrontation. So was everybody else, as they looked at her.  
_  
I made him angry again, _she thought. She felt she might have overstepped her boundaries, again; this time for assuming Chris was invited. However, she felt it couldn't be otherwise.

"He has to!"

_Maybe not the best way to put it_, she thought, too late.

Gaara's annoyance turned to anger. He stepped towards her to confront her.

"The last time I checked, 'Gaara of the Sand' was Kazekage, not Abigail of … whatever you're from!"

"Yes but ..."

"No, no, no … you and your friends come here and decide that you are from the real world, insulting us by insinuating that this one is not; Then you go showing off that you know everybody and now, you get to decide who is coming to my village? And offer him shelter and food, ON MY BEHALF?"

Aby turned red; as she thought, she overstepped her boundaries. He was very close to her and she couldn't look him in the eye. She lowered her head.

"I'm sorry. You are right. But please, do not leave him to fend for himself just because of my behavior."

Gaara blushed at the sudden humility, hiding his own motives … for some reason, he simply did not like him.

"Who do you think I am? I wouldn't act upon pride! What kind of leader would I be?"

Surprisingly, Tori took him by the hand, which startled him. She looked up to him seemingly seeking comfort. From what? The fight? Or from the new guy?  
_  
Something is wrong with this 'Chris' guy … _he thought_._

"So then why do you want to leave him behind?"

"... I don't know him!"

"You didn't know me and Sofia either! You even distrusted me so much you tried to kill me! Twice!"

"He did what?!" shouted Sofia and Chris at the same time.

"Only once," corrected Gaara, flustered. "But you are women and children and wouldn't last three days on your own!"

"What makes you think he could?" she retorted waving toward Chris.

"Look at him! He looks pretty good for a guy who walked in the desert for days! Besides, how can you trust him so blindly, you didn't even know his name until now!"

"But he's part of my world! How will he know how to go back if he doesn't come with us?"

"Not my problem …"

Chris backed up, both hands raised, and chuckled. He let out a "ishhhhh", remembering how Abigail felt about the "not my problem" people.

Aby stared in disbelief. Did he really just say that? Did Gaara, the calm and wise and gentle Kazekage, whom she admired so much, really said such a thing?

"Well I shouldn't be your problem either!" She said it out of spite, which was really stupid; she knew that much. She should have been grateful instead of throwing a temper tantrum. She should have pleaded some more to the person who was saving her and her friends life. Unfortunately for her, she watched Gaara stiffen at the insulting ungrateful comment.

"You know something? You're absolutely right! You and your friends are not my problem. Why don't you stay with him? Perhaps start a new colony and become a brand new Kage!" He watched her concerned expression, as he turned and walked away. "Yashiko! Let's go!"

He broke free of Tori's hand. The lack of compassion on Gaara's face towards Tori broke Aby's heart.

"You're joking! Right?"

"No"

"You can't do that!"

"I just did." He said, still walking away and fuming.

"But we'll be doomed! My friends will be doomed!"

"Still not my problem."

"And you're ok with that? Letting us die?" she said, chasing after him.

"I don't know any of you. You are not from here but you are acting like you are conquering this place. For all I know you'll be more trouble than anything. So … yeah, my conscience is clear."

Aby looked at Sofia, seeking support, but her friend was glaring at Gaara, still brewing over the fact that he tried to kill her. Her gaze turned to Akio, who observed the scene, as if watching an interesting development in a movie. Chris's face was neutral, unimpressed. She started to cry.

"Gaa … Lord Gaara, wait!"

He did not. He put on his cloak's hood as the sun scorched the ground.

"At least take the children!" She grabbed both by the hand and ran towards him. Tori tripped, not being able to keep up but she was so desperate that she just dragged her along in the sand.

"Abigail!" Toshiko yelled as he tried to pull back.

She turned around and fell to the ground near Tori who was holding her knee and looked frightened.

"Please!" she whispered, cursing her own stupidity. She looked up at Gaara in the distance. He had stopped and was watching her.

_He stopped!_

"I'm sorry! I really am! I can't take care of them like that! I can't even make a fire! They won't survive with me."

"Actually I know how to make a fire," said Chris. She ignored him.

"Please, they didn't do anything wrong. They were just dragged into this! They have nobody, even in their own world. They won't make it! Take them, OK?"

She was kneeling on the burning sand, still crying and pushed them both forward, as far as her arms could reach, towards Gaara. He softened his expression and watched her body jerk with every sob. He finally moved after a few seconds and came back. He took Tori's hand and stared at Aby for a few more seconds.

_Why does she care so much for these kids? _He looked at Chris who did not show any expression. Maybe she was just a naturally caring person …

"Are we gonna have anymore problems?"

"What?"

"If I let you tag along, are you going to give me problems?"

"... N … No! It's not my intention! It was never my intention! Never! I'm not a troublemaker!"

She wiped her face with her hand and he suddenly felt guilty to see her like that.

"Then come."

She hid her wet eyes with her hands for a few seconds, stood up and walked towards him, still wiping her face with her sleeve.

Gaara then pointed at Chris.

"You! I'm watching you! If I ever see you behave in any weird matters, I swear I'll te ..."

His threat was cut short. His eyes grew wide as Aby embraced him suddenly.

"Hey!" Yashiko said outraged, "that's … that's too close! Don't be so personal with Lord Gaara!"

Gaara froze, shocked. Nobody hugged him before. He never felt that kind of connection; except from his sister, Temari, once or twice. However, it always felt awkward to him. Gaara was not worthy of embrace. That's how he always thought. He inspired fear and respect, not a hug. Moreover, thankful gestures were done by bowing. Ultimate gratitude was done low, head to the ground …

Yet, there she was, holding him tight, her face wet with tears. She closed her eyes and hid her face in his chest. He was too shocked to know what to do. He knew one thing. This didn't feel out of place. Not really. It felt … good.

"Thank you" she whispered in his chest, then she let go and walked away, her hand down, sniffling.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Kankuro held a flashlight in one hand, brushing up the dust from the rock wall with the other. Some paper was taped there before but has been ripped in a hurry, leaving only a small corner. He moved sideways, between boulders and debris. Looking deeper into the cave they just entered.

Kurotsuchi stuck her head through the small entrance where he came from, blocking the little light he had.

"Did you find anything?"

"No, not really. There was definitely somebody here, but everything has been destroyed," he said as he came out, holding the little piece of paper he found on the wall.

He lifted the paper to the light to take a better look. The main area of the cave was much larger than the one he was in earlier, and much brighter too, although the dust was thick and still floating around, still not settled from the destruction.

"Ugh, there's nothing on that thing," he said as he discarded the paper back on the ground.

"It looks like they wanted to hide something," Kurotsuchi said while looking around.

"Whatever it was," Lord Onōki said, "it must have been big!"

"What makes you say that, gramps?"

"Why else blow up this place?" he replied to his granddaughter. Sasuke joined them inside.

"If they blew up the place to hide something, it must have been something they couldn't move."

"But If it was big, it would have been something difficult to get in the first place, therefore something that had great value! Why would they blow that off?" asked Kurotsuchi.

"Unless it was absolutely necessary," said the old man.

"So, something of great importance, or great value, but worth destroying if found out …"

They all went outside, climbing over the rocks that previously blocked the entrance; Sakura had destroyed it with a single punch.

"Sakura! Where are you?"

"Up here!"

Sasuke and the others followed the sound of her voice above the cave; she was kneeling down, brushing dirt with her fingers, she looked onward, facing the forest.

"What have you found?"

"The footsteps are still fresh." She stood up and faced the others. "Maybe they must have seen us coming from afar and decided to destroy all evidence?"

"Evidence of what?!" Kurotsuchi asked, raising her hands in frustration.

"That's the question," said Sasuke, "whatever they wanted to hide, they did a good job!"

"Guys?" Kankuro called from within the trees that gave a view down in the valley.

They joined him and all gasped at the sight.

The damage was spread randomly; Trees were broken, some uprooted. Debris and fish somehow lay all over the ground; the only source of water nearby was a lake about 1.5 Km away to the west, visible from where they were standing. Onōki looked on, eyes wide open.

"By the great mother of ..."

"I think we just found the gate that this guy was speaking of," announced Kankuro, blankly.

"Guys, we can still catch up if we hurry!" Sakura said, her fist ready for the fight.

Sasuke was the first to move. They all ran, following the trails the escapees left behind. Sakura and Kankuro moved in the trees, jumping from one to another.

The pursuers moved fast, and as trained Shinobis, they knew they were closing in the distance, unless of course, the escapees were also trained Shinobis; which in this case, they would either be faster than anticipated, or they would ambush them.

It didn't take long to know the answer; A flight of a hundred kunais suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Sakura used a substitution jutsu and a big crooked log took the hit in her place; Kankuro shielded himself with his puppet; Kurotsuchi and the old Tsuchikage used an earth style jutsu to create a wall of wood, then jumped over it to keep in pursuit. Still ahead of everyone, Sasuke simply kept running, dodging the kunais and countering them with his sword, making it spin at an incredible speed and making the tiny weapons bounce back.

He was also, consequently, the first one to reach the enemy. The three men attacked without waiting turns. Sasuke jumped, twisted, countered, attacked, countered some more; Slid on the ground to avoid a hit and threw a few shurikens, seemingly juggling between his sword and other smaller weapons.

"Arrrg, come on guys! The guy only has one freaking arm!"

He jumped and threw a side and back kick simultaneously; throwing one man on the ground. Another one had to catch his breath … too late. Sasuke might have had only one arm, but it was all he needed. He somehow threw the guy up and caught up with him in the air; he gave him an elbow hit in the stomach and sent him crashing back to the ground. The third one kept some distance and observed as the rest of the group caught up to Sasuke; he stood tall with a steady breath, ready for more action.

"Sasuke?" inquired Sakura, holding up a kunai in each hand.

"I'm fine. They're nothing we can't handle," he said without leaving them out of his sight.

Two men laughed as they faced them, while the third one got up, a bulky short man, full of piercings, rubbing his stomach, looking unimpressed.

"You should let us go … poison ivy, over here, is itching to infect you!" said the first man to their right; A tall, built, blond man, wearing nothing but loose black pants and sleeveless torn vest.

The deep green haired man beside him had a crazy look on his face, his green eyes were outlined with fine light blue eyeliner. He took a long knife which the handle bore a noticeably beautiful engraving of two dragons, with blue and pink colored mane and tail. He brought the blade to his mouth and slowly licked it, his saliva dangling between the abnormally long tongue and the blade. Sakura flinched at the disgusting sight.

Kankuro scoffed and shook the chakra filled strings of his puppet. The puppet stretched his arms and neck, as he was; the blue chakra could be seen flowing through the strings.

"Ha ha, okay guys, we've seen worse than that … how about you save us some time and tell us what's this all about?" he said.

"This does not concern you! Last chance, turn around and get lost!"

"Argh," said the Tsuchikage, annoyed. "Young people these days are so rude! Watch out everyone!" he said.

He jumped high, making his staff spin one way and the other and landed on his feet. A "crack" noise was heard as the staff touched the ground. The old man shrieked.

"Ohhhhh—My back!"

A strong vibration came from the ground where the staff hit the ground and the three men lost balance for a few seconds; long enough to catch them off guard with a series of attacks, led by Sasuke and Kurotsuchi. Kankuro's puppet unleashed itself with a series of "cliquety-cliquetack", spitting out sharp needles from its mouth. Sakura's strength usually inspired respect, but in this case, the men showed no fear at all towards it. She kept fighting, nonetheless. She glanced towards Sasuke from time to time. He was fighting with the dragon dagger man. He was pretty quick, but so was Sasuke. She went further back to help out the others.

Sasuke made good use of his sharingan. But his opponent also seemed to have an endless source of stamina. The green eyed man kept trying to cut him with his dagger.

_There must be something about the dagger. _He thought_. _

He jumped and twisted like a snake, avoiding every single attack and following with one of his own; the last attack had him spitting fire at the man.

"FIRE STYLE, FIREBALL JUTSU!"

Sasuke drove him mad, dizzy and confused. The man was waiting for an opening; an opportunity to cut him...and it came! The pink haired girl screamed in pain but overpowered his brother instantly. The event was brief, but that was enough.

Sasuke got startled by Sakura's shout. As he looked, a searing pain came on his right shoulder. He jumped back in surprise and looked at the damage.

"Dammit!"

He thought for a second that the blade was poisoned … but he felt fine. It was the only arm he had, but the pain was not so much to disable him from fighting.

In the end, they were five against three and the three men were overpowered, or so it seemed. They were tied up and left alone with Kankuro for a few minutes, as the group gathered to discuss the situation.

Sasuke noticed Sakura was walking funny and massaging her lower neck.

He approached his team mate, a few minutes later while she was tending to the Tsuchikage.

"Are you OK? I heard you scream earlier …"

She watched him, surprised; that would not have been the first time she would have screamed during a fight.

"Oh! I'm OK, I think I twisted my ankle. I'll deal with it after I fix Lord Onōki's back," she smiled while he was screaming in pain; she was cracking his bones back in place. His granddaughter watched horrified.

"S-Sakura San! Please be careful! You are dealing with an old geezer here! Gentle!"

"I am being gentle!"

"Kurotsuchi girl! How OWWWW dare you call me an old gee—OWOWOW!"

"What's all this commotion?" asked Kankuro, joining the group for a moment.

"So? What did they say?" Sasuke inquired.

"Nothing. They won't say a thing. I thought maybe Sakura could break a few bones to make them talk?"

"Yes, yes; she is quite capa—OOOOOWWWWWW!"

"There, That should do it …"

She proceeded to where the three men were tied up.

"You should fix your ankle first," suggested Sasuke.

"No rush," she said, "it's not that bad, rea—uh … Kankuro? Where are they?"

They all joined Sakura and found the binding wire, still tied up, but empty.

"What the hell? They were there a second ago! How did they ... ?!" Kankuro furiously looked around, confused.

"We were right there next to them! How did they get out so fast and unnoticed? Did you guys hear anything?"

"How did they loose the wires?" asked Kurotsuchi.

"They did not."

Sakura grabbed the wires still intact. The ropes that tied their hands were also intact, still tied up. She looked around; there were no footprints.

"It's like they vanished into thin air!"

They looked at each other, perplexed.

"If they could disappear just like that, why didn't they do that from the very beginning?!" Korutsuchi said, confused.

Sasuke gasped in response and started to run toward where they came from.

"DAMMIT!"

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU PAL!" shouted Kankuro, running after him.

The rest of the group, startled, followed them as well.

"Wait! Sasuke? What is going on?!" asked Sakura, catching up to him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kankuro answered in his place; "Whatever they did, they just vanished! Like Kurotsuchi said, they could have done that from the beginning! Why do you think they didn't?"

"Maybe they just did not think about it?"

"Of course they did!" furiously said Sasuke.

"Well, maybe they couldn't at the time? Maybe they just …"

Sakura thought for a moment, still running. _If their vanishing required an enormous amount of chakra, they would not have risked fighting five Shinobis, against three … which means, it was … planned?_ She gasped.

"A diversion!"

They reached the cave where they started, but saw nothing out of place. They searched the inside again, but … how do you look for something you didn't see before?

"I don't know … everything seems the same as before! Arrh ..." Kankuro sighed in frustration.

"Mmmm" the old Tsuchikage took an old pipe from his pocket, and some dried leaves from another. He pushed down the leaves in the pipe and lit it up with a fire style jutsu.

"There must have been something here that we could not see and they wanted to distract us before we found it …"

He let out a puff of smoke.

"Something, or someone …"

... 

Sasuke, Sakura and Kankuro parted ways with Lord Onōki and his granddaughter to head back to Suna. Sasuke sent a hawk to Kakashi to share their findings and their intention to accompany Kankuro to Suna, before heading to Konoha. Shinobis never travel alone.

Although Kankuro had insisted he was ok to return by himself, Sasuke still had questions to ask "the gatekeeper". He wondered if he knew what (or who) the men could have been hiding. He also had a feeling that it had a connection to his and the others' presence.

Nightfall was upon them. They would have to stop for the night. He shivered at the thought.

_Hopefully it will be a night without dreams, _he thought.

He suddenly felt light headed and felt a tingling on his shoulder. He looked at the wound again. There was a faint bluish scratch that wasn't there before. Maybe it was getting infected? He thought about the blade and the way the man had licked it before. He looked at Sakura's back, as she was walking beside Kankuro. They were having a conversation about Temari and Shikamaru and how she was getting accustomed to the Nara clan's customs.

"She was so happy she could see and touch the deers from the Nara clan forest! She told me she felt privileged to be able to be in their presence. You should have seen her! Her face was as bright as day! I've never seen her like that! ha ha!"

"Pfff … me neither! She usually is not an animal person! Then again, there are no creatures in the desert except for nocturnal monsters … not very cuddly …"

"She likes it so much she always goes first thing in the morning, since she is now part of the clan. She feels at peace there!"

"Even if one of the Akatsuki is buried alive there?"

Sakura shivered. Hidan was still alive, beheaded, his body dismembered. Buried like this under the watchful eyes of the Nara clan's deers; for eternity; thanks to Shikamaru.

"She is not bothered by it, apparently. She said she doesn't feel his presence. She feels safe."

"That would give me the creeps!"

Sasuke rotated his sore arm. He felt a series of cold strings shooting from his arms through his entire body. He had a few cold sweats. Maybe he would feel better in the morning. He found some medicinal flowers not too far from the camp. He chewed the bitter petals and massaged the paste on his shoulder. _That should do it_, he thought.

"Do you need me to take a look?" Sakura asked him; She had turned to him at the moment when he was massaging his shoulders.

"No need. Just a scratch. I already took care of it."

"OK! Let me know if it gets infected, all right?"

"Yeah, sure ..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Suna came into view as the sun went down. Gaara was now at the back, following everyone.

"Night creatures are about to surface," he said earlier. "I'll keep watch. You guys go ahead."

But his blank stare was on her. He was following her every move. She was excitedly hopping around like a bunny, while she was talking to her friends. She seemed so carefree and happy. She had no idea of all the dangers lurking around her. She was smiling and laughing. She was holding Tori's hand. He was touched that she, a stranger, would take responsibility for the two kids she barely knew. He let a faint smile on his lips. She was charming. Annoying at times, clueless, but charming. He remembered the embrace and rubbed the goosebumps away.

Then he saw "him" put his arm around her shoulders, playfully as he was speaking to Akio.

"So that's why we can understand each other!"

"Yes," answered Akio. "The stories were translated officially in 9 languages. Which means that once in this world, anyone who speaks one of these languages would understand each other, this world, being universal within ours."

"Ohhh"

"There is something I want to ask …" exclaimed Aby. "If this world requires a writer's creation, does that mean that we are part of the writer's story, us being here and all? Is this whole earthquakes, gatekeeper thing, just a story? Wait...but our world...how can we be written for this story? Oh my head is gonna explode…"

"No, no, This is something different. I don't quite understand what's going on. But the story was already completed. Besides, the writer is a special one...not like any other. In this case, ans some others, he only created the skeleton of this world. He created the lands and customs, he created the characters and their complexities, he created it's history … then the writer put in the events and—"

"He decided who would die and who would live," added Gaara.

The group became silent as Akio watched him; he was expecting that, eventually.

"He decided to put a kyuubi in me before I was even born," Gaara continued, "the same for Naruto. He decided to make us victims of a mob and created monsters in the end."

The monster part, of course, was more about him, than Naruto. Naruto, as far as he knew, was never a monster.

"Yes and no,"

"What?!"

Akio approached him.

"He created the characters, their strengths and their weaknesses. He wrote down the plot, and the issues. He wrote down the ending result, but the development, like the rest of the world … well … our world, he watched unfold."

"What?" Shouted Aby and Sofia.

"He gave the ability to the characters to learn and therefore, to think for themselves." he said, still looking at Gaara. "Yes, he decided to put the kyuubi in you and he created your heart, but it is you who decided to use it."

"So … they made up their own story?" asked Sofia.

"Yes and no; he wrote the core and the ending … but the characters are the ones who chose how to get there …"

"Some kind of destiny that cannot be changed!" said Abigail.

"Unless the writer can help it …" he paused, "or 'a' writer" he reflected.

"Huh?"

"If something is getting out of hand, a stroke of the writer's pen is all that is needed to help out. But as a writer, he needs to stick to the plan … which means that some characters are meant to die, while some others are meant to live. So in a way," he looked at Gaara, "Yes, he decides who lives and who dies."

Gaara was not too impressed by that revelation. He did not like it one bit. Akio could tell, but he could understand his feelings.

"Like in our own world, God decides the time of our death … it is part of his plan and we trust him for it. Until then, we use the heart He gave us to bring him Glory. In all we do, we use the tools He gave us to care for our family, neighbors, friends, etc. taking care of his creation brings him glory!"

"So we are bringing glory to the writer?" Gaara asked annoyed. "That's our purpose?"

"Yes and no. Of course it is nice to have people enjoying your creation, but the writers are nothing compared to the greatness of God. I believe it is also a way to bring glory to himself. As I said before, in a way, we understand his role in our life! We were created in his image! He is a great creator! So it can be assumed that humans will also be able to create! But never the way He does!

"Fascinating!" said Chris in a tone Gaara sensed to be overly interested. Was he being sarcastic? Akio paid no mind.

"Is it like this for all manga?" asked Aby, curious.

"Oh no! Only a handful of writers have that power. A way for God to show his glory by hinting a few of us of his own work!"

Aby reflected on this.

"He created the world and his inhabitants, but also gave us free will."

"Yes, I guess you can think of it that way."

"Then, the characters, when they die, where do they go?"

Akio became serious for a moment.

"That is one of the most important responsibilities of the creator; creating a place of eternal rest for their souls, and a place of total destruction for the wicked."

"Wow!"

"I think so too!" Smiled Akio.

"All do you know all that stuff, gatekeeper?" asked Chris.

"Oh! Because I'm also in training to be writer!"

They looked at him, perplexed.

"Believe me! It's a lot more technical than it seems...not like an everyday writer! There is a lot of things to consider! However, I felt privileged to be have been chosen as a gatekeeper AND a potential writer! It is rare for a gatekeeper to also be able to write!"

They entered the gates of Suna, at last; a gigantic rock wall, split in two.

Gaara came back to the front and was greeted by the guards. The village was quiet. The fact that it was evening was a factor, but people were busy during the day, trying to fix the damage from the previous earthquakes so they were tired from all the work, it was, therefore, abnormally quiet.

Usually, people would gather and have social events before sundown. Gaara was not a very social person, but he found the scene depressing.

He was approached by a man wearing a turban like head covering. His face was half hidden by a veil and the other half had two markings, similar to Kankuro's.

"Baki,"

"Greetings Lord Gaara," He looked towards the children, Aby and Sofia, perplexed.

"How was it during my absence?"

"Huh … better than expected. Only a few handfuls complained about you being gone … otherwise, people just gathered their courage and started working in rebuilding the village. Everyone has been helping each other, sharing food and drinks. I've never seen Suna in such camaraderie before. It is a nice change."

Gaara lowered his eyes and smiled. _That is very good!  
_  
"I'll go around tomorrow and see what I can do to help."

"But first ..."

"Yes, Yes, I know, the council …" Gaara mumbled something under his breath and kept walking forward. "Come now," he said to the group, still facing forward, "let us sleep in a bed tonight".

"All together?" said Chris laughing. Sofia snorted but Gaara ignored him and kept walking.

They all entered the central building, which was home to the Kazekage, but also his work place. Up the third floor they went. They were guest rooms on each side.

"Shotgun that one!" said Toshiko excitedly … his sister and him didn't have much opportunity to sleep in an actual bed. They would sleep well tonight, in a soft cozy bed with a blanket to keep them warm. He was suddenly aware that he might have been a little rude. He looked at Gaara, shyly.

"... if … if it's OK?"

Gaara smiled and nodded.

"Yes!" Toshiko grabbed his little sister and ran into the room. "G'Night everybody!"

They kept walking as they could hear the children laughing and jumping on the bed, and Gaara ordered a few staff around to make sure everyone had what they needed; extra blankets, clean sheets etc. While he spoke to them, Abigail noticed a huge door in the middle of the wall to the right. It was slightly opened and a ray of white light came through.

"You should take a look," winked Akio.

She pushed the door and let herself in the spacious room. She knew right away who this room belonged to. There was a whole wall of cacti, lit by the moonlight. She smiled. The room was neat and clean, as she expected, although a little run down … probably due to the previous earthquake Gaara spoke of. She could tell it had been quickly fixed … somewhat. She looked at the cacti and got closer. One of them had a single flower on it. It was placed right in the middle of the cacti, and was beautiful; all white and delicate. The petals looked soft, like silk. She was going to touch it when footsteps startled her. She swirled around and watched Gaara staring at her in the doorway, leaning on the door frame.

"Oh … is this … your room?" she pretended not to know.

"Indeed"

"Oh … I'm sorry, Akio told me I should take a look, so …"

"Because Daisuke-Sama owns this place?"

She blushed … now that he mentioned it … she felt a bit ashamed, like she was disturbing his privacy. That was the second time; the first time had been when she walked in his tent without proper invitation.

She passed him to leave the room and stopped, still looking down.

"Um … That's a nice flower there."

He stared at her for a few seconds then looked at the flower.

"That is a 'Selenicereus Grandiflorus'; a night blooming cactus. This one blooms for one night only … although I'm surprised that she is still there … It has been almost a week," he said smiling.

_Were you waiting for me to come back before withering? _he thought.

His smile was gentle. She smiled also.

"It's cute the way you take such good care of your cacti!"

He looked away and shrugged his shoulders before walking back out.

'_Thank you, I think you're cute too!' would've been nice, buddy, _she thought, pouting as she followed him out.

"Seriously! It's OK to show a little emotion other than rage, you know?" she mumbled to herself as she entered another room next to his. It was a smaller room with a window and a nice view of the moon. That's all she needed. She let her bag fall down on the bed and sat on it, bouncing a few time. _Not bad!_ she thought. She looked around.

There was an empty closet. The door was wide open, so she could see it was a big one; one could probably fit another bed in it. There were a few portraits on the walls. One of a beautiful lady with short light brown hair, a tiny french-braided on the side. She thought it might have been Gaara's mother. She wore a long, simple but elegant light brown sleeveless dress.

_Like the color of the sand! _she thought.

Her smile was very gentle and her eyes were kind.

Next to the portrait, in contrast, was a smaller portrait of a serious man. What lacked in size was complemented with bold and dark colors, making the portrait the first thing you saw when entering the room. The man in the painting looked just like Gaara, except for a few details, like the color of the hair and eyes. In fact, she always thought Gaara had his mother's eyes, but her eyes were blue. The man's eyes on the portrait were brown.

She looked on the other side of the room. There stood a simple dresser with a few drawers. She refrained from opening them. Her curiosity had limits … sometimes …

Once again, Gaara stood in the doorway.

"Are you OK here?"

"Yes, thank you," she said and smiled politely.

He just nodded and seemed to try to look for something to say.

"Do you … do you want to go take a look around the village?"

She opened her mouth in disbelief. _Oh my God! He's asking me out! Gaara is asking me out!_

She felt butterflies in her belly and her hands started to sweat.

"Yes!"

"OK, well, make sure you don't do that tonight … or any night for that matter. There are creatures bigger than houses that come out and prey on anything that moves; better do that when it's day time. If you decide to go tomorrow with your friends, make sure you are all back here before sundown."

"... Oh … OK, thank you."

"Yeah … no problem …"

He stayed in the doorway, looking up, down and around. It was awkward. For some reasons, he wanted to keep talking to her.

She was looking away, playing with a strand of hair. She felt really disappointed. And then it dawned on her that there was no way he liked her. What was she even thinking? He was always mad at her. A few hours earlier he was ready to leave her behind with her troubles. He was accusing her and her friends of creating chaos and causing more problems. He even said that his conscience would be at ease if she would die. She was fighting tears so badly. Tears of disappointment but also embarrassment. She was so stupid. To top it up, he was a freaking manga character! What was she getting emotional for?

He studied her as she was looking away.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"Uhm, Yeah, I'm tired. It's been a long … day … I mean days … away from home."

"Right … Don't worry, we'll figure out how to bring you home."

"I'm sorry about earlier; truly I am. I need to learn my place here."

_Which is none,_ she couldn't help but think.

He looked at her pink bag on the bed. The little "Gaara" charm was hooked back on it. He felt the urge to touch her, to comfort her. He felt he went overboard again, back then, but as the Kazekage, he also needed to make things clear. His hand moved on its own; gently reaching out for the base of her neck, hidden by the long dirty hair.

"Lord Gaara?" They both jumped at the familiar voice coming from outside. Gaara let out a faint growl, while pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed.

"Yesss Yashikoooo …"

"Uhhh, sorry to bother you Lord Gaara, I was just wondering if, well … am I still on duty?"

Aby turned around and studied Gaara. His face made her snort.

"... Yes Yashiko, you are still on duty." He looked up to an imaginary sky, finally starting to question the sharpness of the man's mind.

"So … does that mean that I need to stay awake?"

"No, Yashiko; we are in Suna. We are home. We have guards on rotation for that. Your duty is only to remain nearby."

He turned to Aby and opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted again.

"Uh, Lord Gaara?"

"... What?"

"Uhm, then, do I get a bed or do I sleep at your door?"

Aby was trying very hard to muffle the sound of her laugh as Gaara sighed.

"OK, I'll be right out!"

He turned to Abigail once more. Her eyes were shining from the laughter she was trying to drown with the back of her hand.

"I'll just … I have to go … don't go out by yourself, OK?"

"OK. And thank you for the room!"

"Well … good night."

"Yeah … nighty night!" she said with a childish voice.

He looked at her blankly for a few seconds and walked out.

_What was that? _He thought.

He almost offered to show her around! He has no time for that?! Why would he do that? It sure would be easier to keep an eye on her though … she'd probably get in trouble. She probably will. She'll make the mob angry just by talking to them. That's her problem: She is either charming or infuriating … maybe he should go with her after all. Just to keep her in check … after his meeting with the council. He closed the door behind him and led Yashiko away.

"So should I … oh! OK, I'll get that room then!" Yashiko said after Gaara just shoved him in a random room they were passing.

"Go to sleep!"

"OK! Good night sir!"

_Nighty night?! _Gaara remembered Abigail saying. He put his hand on his mouth and felt the red heat reach his cheeks.

That was cute …

... 

A scratching sound woke Aby the next morning. She opened her eyes and saw, at the window, a little sparrow, hopping here and there, chasing something within the cracks of the window frame. It turned its head sideways, up and down, in sharp movements, trying to see the insect that was trying to get away, and would peck here and there. When he finally got it, with a sharp snap of its beak, the bird looked at her, with the insect still moving in its beak. She smiled at the bird who let out a soft whistle before taking off.

_Good morning to you too, _she thought while smiling.

She heard a knock at the door.

"Madam? Are you awake? May I come in?" said a soft voice.

"Yes" she said, while stretching.

A young maid entered the room with a basin filled with water. She also had some clothes that she put on the bed, where Aby was still laying.

"Lord Gaara thinks you all should wear Suna's clothes in order to blend in with our people. Would you like your breakfast brought here, or would you like to join the others downstairs in the banquet hall?"

"I'll come down! Thanks!" she answered with a warm smile.

The young lady smiled back and bowed down before leaving the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Aby washed her hands and face over the basin, surprised by the cool, but refreshing temp of the water, then turned towards the clothes left on the bed; a beautiful deep grayish purple top with dark brown trousers.

After putting on the clothes, she went down and joined the children. Akio was having tea while looking at what she guessed was some kind of newspaper; his legs were crossed. He also wore the same earth color garments from Suna. A dark bluish top with grey pants. The children each wore dark brown pants with matching brown shirts, covered with a light brown shoulder scarf. It immediately reminded her of the young Gaara in the anime, and made her smile. A purple belt tied around their waste finished the style.

Sofia was not up yet and apparently, Gaara was already on his way to meet the council members. Toshiko went outside in the garden and instructed Tori to stay inside for a few minutes. She went to join Akio at the grand shiny table; Aby could almost see her reflection in it. An older maid brought them what looked like scrambled eggs over rice porridge and hot milk. Tori pushed the eggs away.

"Little lady, aren't you hungry?" asked the maid who brought her the bowl.

"Don't want to eat baby chicken," she said pouting.

The maid smiled, showing a few wrinkles around her eyes.

"There is no baby chicken in there, little lady! The mommy chicken made that egg with no baby, just for you, so you could eat it and become strong!"

Tori watched the scrambled eggs.

"No baby?"

"No baby." she smiled.

Tori took a big spoon and ate with appetite.

"She sure has a way with kids!"

Chris appeared in the grand banquet hall and sat beside Aby and Tori.

"How is it Tori?" he asked her.

She nodded her approval, shyly.

"Let's go sightseeing after breakfast!" he said to Abigail, taking a mouthful of porridge.

"Sure! We'll have to wait for Sofia, I'm sure she'll want to come too!"

"Does she have to?"

He rested his cheek on one hand and smiled at Aby. She smiled back without looking at him, blushing.

"I don't have to!" Sofia said from across the room, her hair still messy; her new dark blue clothes loosely covering her body, her black belt resting on her shoulder. She was smiling while sitting down and discreetly winked at Abigail.

"You guys go! I'll stick around a little longer, near the food ... maybe keep the kids company!"

"Now I'm worried for them!" teased Abigail. Sofia pulled her tongue out.

"Hey! Where is Toshiko?" she asked.

He came running back, hiding something in his hands.

"Tori! Close your eyes!"

Tori giggled and excitedly obliged. Toshiko revealed what he was hiding. Both Sofia and Aby gasped in surprise, which made Tori giggled even more in excitement.

In his hand was a tiny pink flower he weaved as a ring. There was also a little white bead weaved in, and a little leaf and strand of grass. It was truly beautiful!

"Toshiko! Did you make that?"

"Yes, he said proudly. My mother showed me a long time ago!" he said as he put the ring on Tori's middle finger. "Ok, open your eyes!"

She laughed and hugged her big brother.

"So pretty!" she said, her eyes were sparkling.

"Look! Remember the bead we found on the street? I kept it in my pocket all this time! Happy birthday!"

The trio gasped at the table.

"Is it Tori's birthday?!" asked Aby.

"Yes!"

Tori never even mentioned it once! How could this be? That sweet baby girl never complained, never asked for anything, and now this? What child never brags about their birthday coming up and expecting presents? Aby wanted to cry.

"Tori! I'm so sorry," she said with a big hug. "You should have said something! You too!" She pointed at Toshiko, accusingly. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Our birthdays don't really matter anymore, since … well …"

He looked at his sister who kept beaming at the ring. She left the table and danced around, pretending to be a princess.

"Your parents …" said Aby. Toshiko nodded sadly. She wrapped her arms around him.

"How long?" asked Sofia

"Two years, more or less," he whispered.

Aby and Sofia looked at each other. No wonder it didn't matter anymore. They have been on their own and had to take care of survival all this time. Children should not go through this, and yet, Aby knew there were many in the world who had to fend for themselves. But two years?! That would mean Tori was barely two years old if not only one! How was Toshiko able to take care of a baby at such a young age?

Sofia smiled and asked the old maid nearby;

"If it's not too much to ask, would you guys let me use the kitchen today?"

"You know how to bake a cake?" whispered Aby.

"You guys go sightseeing … the kids and I have a birthday cake to make!"

Tori stopped dancing and her face lit up even more.

"CAKE?!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

They were walking along the deep huge cleft created by the earthquake. All around them were people working on the houses, business buildings. Some of them were gloomy and tired, but most of them were working with a smile. A few even waved at them from their rooftop. There were a few people going around with their cart full of food. Some stood there, cooking street food and giving discounts. A lady freely offered two freshly baked buns to them.

"For the lovely couple!" she smiled.

Abigail blushed and declined politely

"Thank you very much, but we are not from here ... I think your people need them more than—"

Before she could finish, Christ took the two steaming buns and bowed with thanks. Abigail looked at him disapprovingly, but the lady smiled.

"It's OK! These days are hard but we'll come around! I believe in our kazekage! Besides, we must not forget to look to kindness instead of panic and greediness!" She smiled once more and went to seek more people on her way, offering bread. Aby was amazed by this lady's kindness.

Chris took a quick glance at Abigail's purse, as if finished his bread.

"I'm glad you like it!" he said.

"Oh, that old thing?" she teased.

"I made that old thing,"

"What? No way."

"I did! Most of the stuff in the shop was made by me."

"Most?"

"Some were made by my elder sister."

"You are talented!"

"How about you? Got any talent? Miss gatekeeper?"

She scoffed and frowned … she didn't remember him being there when they spoke about her possibly being a gatekeeper.

"Not really …"

"Oh come on now! Everyone has a talent."

"Well, I didn't discover it yet."

"What do you think about all that talk about God from Mr. Daisuke?"

"Oh … we're changing subjects … OK … Uhhh, well, I think it makes a lot of sense."

He looked ahead, holding his hands behind his neck.

"You believe in God?" he asked after a pause.

"Don't you?" She looked at him, surprised.

"... I have my own beliefs," he grinned, still looking in the distance.

"Ok …"

She wasn't really sure why the sudden change of subject and why God. He finally met her eyes which startled her. He tilted his head sideways, watching her with a soft expression.

"I believe I was meant to meet you," he said casually.

She looked down, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"You're very …" she searched for the word.

"Handsome? Yah, I know …"

"... Boldly Honest"

"That's another talent of mine."

He walked backwards, facing her, trying to make eye contact again, but she would not look up. That made him smile.

"You're really cute when you do that!" he smiled.

She met his eyes for a second and looked away again.

"Oh stop it!"

"Oh! When a lady says "stop" a gentleman needs to stop!"

She chuckled as he faced forward again.

"So? Where do we go?"

"We've got no money...I wish I could get something for Tori."

She spotted a street vendor in the distance. Stuff was glittering under the sun.

"Shiny stuff is always a good start for a girly gift!"

"I'll keep that in mind!" he said, glancing at her.

The vendor greeted them. Her table was full of beautifully detailed jewelry and other carved boxes and figurines of all sizes. Her attention instantly fell on a beautiful bracelet adorned with a white and green-turquoise water dragon looking at a tiny sparkly blue beaded butterfly that was resting on the tip of its feathered white tail. The wings of the butterfly were deep, see through, sapphire blue color.

"That would suit her!" she said, longingly.

Chris raised his eyes to the sky, mockingly.

"Women and shiny stuff…"

"Tell me that's not real sapphire," she asked the vendor.

"Oh no … just resin!" the lady answered, smiling.

"It's beautiful!"

"Mustn't have many customers these days," Chris wondered, looking around at the many damages of the village. She gave a nervous laugh.

"No, it's true. People do not have time or money to waste these days."

"I don't have money just yet, but maybe I can figure out something … how much do you sell it for?"

"10.50 Ryō", she said.

She wondered if maybe she could work, somehow, for the time being … maybe help Gaara or anybody in Suna, temporarily. But she needed the bracelet today.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I just came here, temporarily. I live with Ga … uhm … Lord Gaara," she started. The lady looked at her, unconvinced. "I have no money, but a little girl who is with me is celebrating her fourth birthday. It would really mean a lot if I could get this for her today. I would pay you back, somehow."

The lady shook her head apologetically.

"I"m sorry … I worked a lot on it. And these days are difficult … I usually get the money upfront ..."

"Ah come on ma'am, you don't even have customers these days!" Said Chris annoyed. "She said she'll pay you back!"

Aby looked at him surprised. She understood very well the lady's feelings towards her creations. She would have thought Chris would have understood as well, being an artist himself. The bags he made must have taken a long time to do and required a lot of skills.

"No, its ok," said Aby with a smile. "I understand! Your work is beautiful! Thank you for showing me!"

"Wait!"

The charm on Aby's purse grabbed the lady's attention.

"I'd be willing to trade," she said, pointing at the little Chibi Gaara.

Aby looked at her beloved charm. She realized it must have been unique here. She took it off her purse and held on to it. She was reluctant to part with it, but thought about Tori who was not likely to get presents very often. _Maybe I can just get another one when I get back home…  
_  
She looked at the vendor and back at the bracelet.

"I'll give you two of these for this charm," she added.

"... ok, deal!"

She held onto it for a few more seconds and brushed off some of the dust from it's hair before giving the little Gaara charm to the lady, who, in return, gave Aby the bracelet she wanted.

"Can I also have this little box, instead of another bracelet?"

The lady looked at the intricately carved boxes on the table. She was reluctant, but she felt the Gaara doll was so special. She nodded and gave her the box. Aby thanked her and put the bracelet inside the box.

"Wait a moment," the lady said, grabbing the box back from her hands. She took it to a little table and quickly wrapped it with a cheap tissue paper and tied a colorful ribbon around it, before giving it back to Abigail.

"Here you go, I hope your little girl will enjoy her birthday present!"

"Thank you so much!"

The lady bowed with a smile.

"Happy?" asked Chris, putting his arm around Aby's shoulders. She felt blood rushing to her head and nodded.

"Mission accomplished," she said.

... 

Gaara watched the whole thing from a distance. His Kazekage hat dangling from his belt. He was wearing the white and green cloak, while walking with Yashiko and one of the council members they met earlier. He, Yashiko and the man were going to this member's favorite breakfast place before the meeting, when Gaara recognized them from afar.

He thought he could have recognized her from miles away, anytime; even though she blended well with his people in Suna's clothes. However, his heart squeezed when he saw Chris put his arm around her shoulders before walking away. He couldn't help but stare at him. The way he was always hovering around her like a wasp, his carefree nature, his behavior … Gaara thought he was up to something.

_I don't like this guy_, he thought. _I don't like him_, _I don't like him, I don't like him,_ he kept mumbling while watching them walk away further within the village.

"Is something the matter Lord Gaara?"

"Uh? Oh no no … nothing. I just got distracted. I apologize."

Yashiko also looked toward the couple, but said nothing.

The man looked in the direction Gaara was looking and saw a couple walk away.

"Hmmm. I see. Do you feel lonely, son?"

_Son?!_

"No, not particularly." he answered. He knew where the conversation was going already.

"It's such a shame things didn't work out with Hakuto. She was such a lovely girl! No wonder this girl would have made our Kazekage very happy."

Gaara stiffened and struggled to keep his composure. He did not want to talk about that.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said without emotion.

"Indeed, the traitor has been dealt with accordingly!"

The man looked at Gaara as he was saying those words. Gaara did not react to the words. Yashiko, however, couldn't help but growl.

"That bastard had it coming,'' he said.

He wondered how the council would react if they knew that Hakuto and Shigezane were still alive and well, in Konoha. It was common knowledge that Hakuto, who was to be married to Gaara, was kidnapped and killed by Shigezane, and that Gaara took revenge and killed Shigezane; or at least, that is what the council and the general public believed …

In reality, Hakuto had been a victim of the leaders of both villages and forced into a marriage she didn't wish for. She and her lover, Shigezane, staged a kidnapping to run away together, Gaara felt some disappointment then, when he realized the truth after chasing after them, but forcing the marriage was against his principles and heart. It was better one broken heart (his) than three and an unhappy marriage. He and Shikamaru came up with a lie and helped the couple escape to Konoha.

The council, since then, had not tried to force a marriage upon him, but they have been hinting at him ever since, with talks of the need of an heir.

_So annoying!_

"Yes indeed." Gaara said, without emotion.

"Perhaps if Lord Gaara's spirit has revived since, we could resume the search for ano—"

"My heart is still aching."

"Oh! Is that so?"

"I can still see her in my dreams, begging him to spare her. I can still hear the noise of the blade cutting her throat …"

Gaara brought his hand to his face, getting used to this kind of show he had to put on every now and then, knowing that it wouldn't be effective forever.

"Oh goodness me! … What a horrible experience it must have been … I mean, losing comrades in battle is one thing, but I guess losing a loved one …"

"Let us not talk of this anymore," Gaara interrupted with a blank face, holding his hands in his back and looking forward.

"Yes, Yes, of course! So unfortunate …"

Even Yashiko gave Gaara a concerned look that almost made him smile. In fact, Gaara had been over it for a long time now.

After the man finished his breakfast, they joined the rest of the council members in the parliament and talked about the usual needs of Suna and what could be done to bring the village's state back to glory. Somehow they managed to diverge it to finding a wife for Gaara and that the public would be in great joy to see his happiness. Once again, he interrupted their thoughts with a heavy painful sight, holding a hand to his "broken heart". They quickly changed the subject to a possible solution that would pay for the main repairs of the parliament. Gaara suggested they appease the general public by focusing on their houses and businesses first, which was generally approved by the council.

"What a smart leader you are!"

"We might also be able to create a new water well, or two, from the cleft the earthquake created."

"Yes! An excellent idea! I wonder why no one thought of this before!"

_That is because all of you old geezers are focusing too much on me getting an heir …_

"It is deep enough, I'm sure we can find something. If not, we can use it to improve the sewage system. Once it is done, it will easily be fixed."

"Yes, Yes, naturally …"

Once the meeting was over, Gaara sighed with relief; he'd have peace for some time before the next meeting. The council was the worst part of his job. A duty he had to endure, nonetheless.

He and Yashiko stepped towards the street vendor Abigail and Chris stopped at and instantly recognized one of the items.

"Hello, feel free to take a look," the lady said without looking up.

"That is an interesting item," he said pointing at the charm Abigail left to the lady.

She looked up and was shocked when she recognized Gaara.

"Oh! Lord Gaara! Forgive me!" She reddened and stared at him with admiring eyes.

"No need to."

"Ah yes, funny story, a young lady traded one of my bracelets for this … a lot of people noticed it since! It seems popular, so I might try to make more!" she said excitedly. "Our Lord Kazekage is popular after all!".

Yashiko rolled his eyes when he saw that she deliberately brought her chest forward so that the Kazekage would see more of her cleavage that was already revealing. If he noticed it, he didn't let it show. The lady gasped.

"Oh! She mentioned she was living with you temporarily, is this true? Is there a lady staying with Lord Kazekage?"

"Uhm, yes, temporarily. I'm surprised she gave you this … she seems to be rather attached to it," he said, failing to say that there were, in fact, 2 ladies, two men and two kids staying with him.

"She wanted the bracelet for her little girl's birthday and didn't have the money to pay for it. It was my idea to trade."

_Birthday?_

"How much was the bracelet?"

"10.50 Ryō, but I also gave her a little box!"

He felt she was on the defensive, afraid that he would believe that she took advantage of her, although her jewelry was not cheap quality.

"These items you make are good quality; I wasn't questioning their value. I was just wondering what value you saw in this charm?"

"Oh, it is not for sale," she blushed. "I wanted it for myself ..."

"Can you make more?"

"Uh, Yes, I think I can!"

"Then I'll give you 20 Ryō for it."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh no! If Lord Gaara wants it, he can have it for free of course!"

She offered the charm with two hands while bowing forward, which revealed even more her chest.

"No, you would lose the value for the items you have traded it for. Go on, take the money; I know you need it."

He took the charm she offered and put the coins on the table in front of her.

She watched him walking away with the chibi Gaara he put in his side pocket, under his cloak.

Yashiko, who had been watching the exchange, looked at Gaara.

"Lord Gaara, May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell the man from the council that the couple you saw earlier was Abigail and Chris?"

"Because it is not the council's business, and they like to complicate things that are not their business."

"But they are part of the crisis … isn't it part of their business?"

"They might think they are the enemy."

"Oh, like you did?" Yashiko smiles.

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Yes well, as I said, they might complicate things."

Yashiko thought for a moment. Even he knew hiding things from the council of elders might not be a good idea, but then again, Lord Fifth always had good reasons for his decisions.

"They might also try to force marriage with one of the girls," he laughed.

"Yeah well, that too!" Gaara said amused. In reality, the fact that the girls were from another world, he thought they truly might decide they are enemies. The thought of a marriage crossing their mind would be very unlikely. Then again, they seemed pretty desperate to find him a wife in order to produce an heir.

He wondered if that was what happened to his mother and father. Was his mother forced into marriage?

That was a road of thoughts he did not want to venture on … that would eventually lead to his birth …

He thought about Abigail in a wedding dress, then he violently shook his head.

"Ahhhhhrrrr What is wrong with me!"

Yashiko jumped in surprise.

"What?! Are you unwell?"

"No," Gaara said, rubbing his eyes. "I just need to rest … no … I need to distract my thoughts to something else than marriage. These guys from the council are driving me crazy!"

As they walked, a man in his thirties approached them in great distress.

"Lord! Please help! My brother!"

Gaara glanced at him for a few seconds and decided to ignore him. The man followed him.

"My Lord, Please! No one will help! He has been very sick and hurt since the earthquake! Could you spare a few Ryō? Or at least come take a look at him! Please!"

"Go see a doctor," he said without stopping.

The man quickly changed his behavior.

"Yeah sure! The great Kazekage is so busy, he has no time for his low subjects! You have all the money you need back in your high castle! SHAME ON YOU!" The man shouted as he stopped following him, loud enough for people around to stare. Gaara paid no attention and Yashiko grimaced, disgusted.

"If he's gonna pretend to be in trouble, at least learn to act like it properly!"

"There are a lot of them these days … I'm gonna have to increase the patrolling for security purposes."

... 

When they arrived at the residence, he entered the gates and headed to his room on the second floor. He passed it, curious to see if Abigail was back. She wasn't.

_Why would she be? _He thought. _Even if she would be back, she'd probably hang out with her friends._

He threw his hat on the dresser and removed his cloak before letting himself fall on the bed.

_I hope they didn't bump into one of these cons on their way … I should have told her to … NO! No time to think about that … she'll be fine, she is with her friends … probably with mister 'fun guy' as well._

_I don't like him … Wait … am I jealous?!_

_Noooo why would I be jealous … she is so … she's too … not like us … I do not have time for that!_

_It's because I don't trust him …_

_So tired … maybe just an hour nap before heading to the office. Just an hour … then I'll deal with the financial report. No … that can wait. First, the damage report … then I'll have an idea of the cost of repairs and I can add the estimates to the financial report. Then I can take care of the people's complaints. But I'll need to sort the priorities first. OK … sleep …_

Gaara turned on its side and squeezed his eyelids shut.

… _I need a jutsu to tell my brain to shut up …_

_Oh!_

Gaara suddenly sat up straight,

_I need to send word to Kakashi to let him know that I received his message … or maybe I should wait for Kankuro to come back … _

He relaxed and lay back down.

_Maybe Sasuke already sent a hawk to his leader … yes that would make sense, OK, now sleep …_

He turned the other way.

… _What can I do for my people? Maybe I can make a cut in my salary and send it to some emergency provision so people can get more daily needs …_

_That would go into the financial report too … no, not if I take it from my salary. I'll probably figure out something while I take care of the complaints. Ahhh, it'll be fine. I really need to sleep …_

"Lord Gaara?" Yashiko's voice resonated through the door. Gaara sighed heavily.

"_I'm gonna need help ..."_

_..._

They have been walking for a few hours now. Aby looked ahead at all the houses that looked exactly the same.

"Are you sure it's this way?" asked Aby.

"Positive! Look, the main building is right there!"

They walked in the direction Chris pointed at, zigzagging through the maze of broken down houses and different closed restaurants and businesses, only to find the road was cut short by the giant cleft that ran pretty far.

"Oh shoot!" said Chris, "how did we get on this side?"

"I didn't realize we walked that far …"

"Look further that way, we might be able to jump over"

"I doubt it … it might be bigger than it looks and also I don't want to risk it. Let's just go around it."

"I thought his highness told you to come back before sundown. We might not make it in time … 'around' is still pretty far!"

Aby looked at him surprised.

"How did you know he told me that?"

"I was listening," he smiled.

"You were eavesdropping?"

"Sorry, couldn't help it. The guy is pathetic," he said, looking unimpressed. "He had the chance to ask a pretty girl out and he didn't even take it."

"..."

"Hey, don't worry about him. Besides, he seems to be angry all the time. You don't need a guy like that."

"You're talking as if I like him."

"Don't you?"

"..."

"Every girl is attracted to bad boys," he said, smiling.

"He's not a bad boy," she said, defensively.

"I can be a bad boy too,"

"…"

"Excuse me! You there! Can you help me?"

Aby and Chris turned around, facing a man who seemed very agitated.

"Oh Thank Goodness! Please! I need help! My brother is sick and he's hurt! Can you help?"

"Why don't you go to a doctor?"

"He can't move! He is hurt! A wall fell on him and he can't move! Nobody will help! I've been asking around for days!"

"For days?! Your bro is still alive?" Chris said, unconvinced.

"Please! I'm begging you!"

"Aby, we have to go."

"We can't leave him like that, he looks desperate!"

Chris turned to the man in distress.

"Look, we'll ask for help on our way back to the kazekage's home and I'm sure—"

"The Kazekage!" The man spit on the ground, to Aby's surprise. "I asked for his help earlier, he just turned away and told me off!"

_What? No … he wouldn't do that … not Gaara …_

"Don't spit on him like that! He must be so busy being the Kazekage!"

"Too busy to help his injured people?" said Chris, perplexed.

_There must have been some reason. _

"I'll help," said Aby.

"Ohhhh thank you! Thank you so much! Please come! This way!"

"What? Aby! Wait for me!"

"Hurry! Please! I'm afraid it'll be too late!"

The man was running so fast between buildings, Aby had a hard time keeping up.

"Chris! Over here! Where did he go?" The man poked his head from one alley, then another as they were running.

"Over here! Please, please! Hurry!" Then he disappeared again. Aby was trying hard to follow the man.

"Wait! Slow down!" she yelled.

"Aby!"

She made two left turns around the corners and finally spotted the man, waving at her. He pointed to another man lying down behind a waste bin, down an alley. She could only see the feet.

"Chris, we're here. Chris?"

She looked around but couldn't see him. Did they lose him while they were running? She suddenly felt a chill.

_Why is it in a dark alley? _

The man looked at her, his eyes wondering why she stopped.

"He's right here!"

"What is he doing in an alley?"

"We were smoking and then the earthquake happened! The wall stumbled on top of him!"

She looked at the building … a part of the wall was missing. She looked back at the man, not moving a step closer.

"I thought you said he was sick?"

"What? Yes! He's sick because he's smo—ah please! Just hurry already! Tokugawa? Hey Toku! Buddy! I brought some help! Toku?"

Aby rushed over. The sweating man was lying down, his eyes were closed, as promised. He had some blood on his temple. His breathing was heavy. She put her hand on his forehead. Surprisingly, he wasn't feverish. The man suddenly opened his eyes and yelled in surprise.

"What the ...?" Who are you?"

"Aby stared in shock."

"Dude I was sleeping! Why'd you bring that girl?"

"Ah don't be so grumpy! I brought breakfast! to share!"

"Ohhh ..." The man took a second to look at Abigail and grinned. "Breakfast looks tasty! Come to think of it, I'm a bit hungry."

Aby started to feel cold sweat creeping up. The man slowly rose on his feet. As he did, she could smell the stench of urine. He was filthy. She realized the blood on his forehead might not have been his as she didn't see any wound. She backed up slowly. To her surprise, the first man did not move to block her way.

"What wrong sunshine? Don't you want breakfast too? It tastes better when it is shared!"

The other guy scoffed.

"It's almost sundown," she said without thinking. "Breakfast has passed a while ago."

"Huh? What time is it Tao?" Asked that Toku guy.

"Oh, that's ok!" We can have dinner then!"

"I wouldn't want to impose on you gentlemen, I'll have my dinner where I'm staying … with 'the Kazekage' ..." She hoped that statement would have some warning effect on the two men, but they didn't seem alarmed one bit.

"Uh?"

She kept backing up, but the two men followed her, grinning from ear to ear.

"She's not lying" said the man named Tao. She and her friend did mention his name." He spat again on the ground again. It was plain to see that he did not like Gaara. She wished he was here now …

"You know you shouldn't spit like that … it's not very attractive."

She kept backing up, slowly, afraid she would start a bad chain reaction if she suddenly ran. She was almost back at the entrance of the Alley. She could run there. Maybe they just wanted to scare her … otherwise, they would have bounced on her already.

No ... the guy went out of his way to lead her there. They were toying with her. Where was Chris?

"That's ok honey, I don't need to make myself attractive," he smiled.

"He doesn't care if his meal doesn't find him attractive!" the other guy laughed.

_Just one more st—_

Abigail backed into something hard. She looked up to see another tall man looking down on her.

"Shit" she said out loud.

The way was blocked by three other men. They all laughed when they saw the realization on her face that she was in trouble. She tried to stay calm.

"OK, OK, you guys are funny, but I really need to go. The sun is gonna go down soon and Lord Gaara said there are creatures at night preying on humans so … you should probably stop wasting time and get to safety as well."

They looked at each other.

"Uh guys? I don't think she's from here."

"Those creatures only come at night during sandstorms, baby."

"Don't worry sweetheart, after we're done with you, the desert critters won't want nothing to do with you anyway; they prefer live prey."

"Actually that ain't true … I heard some pretty chilly story about some critter devouring whatever they can find … ever wondered why some folks are missing without a trace?"

They closed in on her and their faces became serious.

"Oh! Lord Gaara!" She said with a big relieved smile, and they all looked up behind them, alarmed. When they realized they had been fooled, Aby was already running out in the open. This time, to her horror, they chased after her.

"CHRIS?" she yelled out with fear, in the hope he would appear to help her. Where was he? Where was she? She couldn't see the main building anymore. She cursed the guy who led her there. She now understood why he was in such a hurry; so she wouldn't focus on how to get back! He knew she would get confused if she escaped. This place was a freaking maze! She was running so fast to follow him, she didn't know where she was going. Moreover, the sun was starting to set, which made the shadows extend and the streets get darker.

"HELP!" she screamed, but the few people that saw her didn't dare to get involved. They looked down fearful and feeling helpless.

Panic was settling in as she frantically tried to lose them between buildings, but they were always catching up to her, laughing like hyenas.

_Shit! SHIT! What should I do?!_

She kept running, but was getting tired. _Maybe he is looking for her? Maybe he is lost? What can I do to get his attention? _

She cried, praying someone would help, begging Chris, in her mind, to come save her. Her tears reminded her of the water. She spotted a water well. She waved her hand and water blasted upward and fell on one of her pursuers. That one laughed.

"Thanks for the shower! It'll take more than that to stop us though!"

... 

Gaara came down to the banquet hall. He had fallen asleep and completely missed the workload he was supposed to deal with. His bad mood was cut short by a very happy Tori who jumped in his arms, which startled him. She showed him her hands full of pink and blue icing, which left some trace on his clothes.

"Today is my birthday!" she told him, beaming.

_Ohhh that's right!_

He looked around. Sofia was icing a cake with Toshiko on the grand table and Yashiko was talking to Akio about the history of Suna. Abigail wasn't there, neither was Chris.

"Are your friends not back yet?" he asked Sofia.

She looked blankly at him.

"Maybe she's afraid you'll try to kill her again!" she said coldly.

He was about to reply when Chris came in the doorway, his hands behind his neck.

"Where is she?" Gaara asked.

"Who?"

"ABIGAIL! Who else?!"

Sofia stopped icing the cake and looked at Chris, concerned. The others also stopped talking.

"Wait, she's not here?!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Gaara yelled furiously.

"When did you guys get separated?" asked Sofia with growing concern.

"Not too long ago … this man was asking for help, he said his brother was injured and needed help …"

"DAMMIT!" Gaara put Tori down and ran out, feeling a cold chill he's never felt before. Chris followed him.

"Where?" Gaara asked him.

"On the other side of the cleft, uhhh, near there," he pointed in the distance.

"Near there, near there, what does that mean?! WHICH ROAD? WHICH PATH?"

"Ahhhh"

"WHICH ONE?"

"I don't know! I'm sorry!"

Gaara sighed in frustration

"Useless …"

Gaara jumped forward and gained speed towards the direction Chris pointed at. His face turned sideways to speak to his bodyguard.

"Yashiko! Go find the Suna police and tell them to follow the sand!" Yashiko nodded and ran out.

"Wait! Let me come with you!" shouted Chris.

Gaara stopped him in his tracks and grabbed him by the collar.

"You're gonna stay right here, and when I come back," he whispered between his teeth, "you better have a good reason why you were not with her!"

Gaara let go and ran as fast as he could. He had a very bad feeling.

He wished he had his sand gourd with him; he could've used the mixture of chakra infused gold sand to transport him. Flying was so much quicker. He cursed himself for not taking the time to grab it. He felt he was wasting precious seconds. He ran around the buildings like in a maze, and eventually jumped on the rooftops, hoping he would see her, but everything was dense and the paths were narrow. All he could see were more rooftops.

To make matters worse, the sun was already going down. He prayed he would find her fast. He finally came out of the maze and ran towards the cleft, but he did not slow down. People who were heading home watched in amazement, when he used his hand gesture and fingers crossing.

"SAND PROPELLER!"

As he jumped, a huge pile of sand under his feet propelled him up, far enough to reach the other side of the cleft. That was not his sand mixture, but Suna's sand did some good … He landed hard and eased himself up with a double somersault. He kept running, looking ahead.

_Now what?_

He looked for a clue, a sign, voices. He heard some commotion, but did not know which direction.

An old man saw him and pointed to the left.

"Thank you!" Gaara ran in that direction.

_Come on Aby! Talk to me! Where are you! Show me where you are!_

He stopped for a moment and listened. A cat hissing. Some shouts, laughter. Something caught his attention … a huge splash of water thrown in the air, to the left, in the distance.

Gaara smiled. _Smart girl! _He followed the water splash. Another one!

"Keep talking Aby, I'm coming!"

... 

She forced herself to ignore the pain in her legs and in her lungs. Shit! That water fountain didn't have any water in it. She turned right, the men were gaining on her and her sight became blurry from the tears she couldn't hold back any more. She blindly turned left again but tripped on something; a piece of pipe sticking out of the ground. She landed hard on another old unused water fountain. Rain water, as minimal as it was, had accumulated in it. Some water splashed on her. She got up and realized she was surrounded.

_That's it, I ran out of time._

The men were laughing wholeheartedly. She waved her hand, threw the water in the air and tried to smash it back down on them, which didn't do anything. There was not enough water to create bubbles, like last time. She had no other option.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she cried with a shaky voice.

"Seriously, what's with the splashing around? Are you that hot?"

"Oh she's hot alright!" One of the men grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to him, licking his lips.

She clawed at his arm but he didn't budge. Instead he licked her face.

"Mmmm guys, she tastes like an exotic ripe fruit."

"Let me have a go! Said Yao. He grabbed her arm and licked it too. Only this time, she was able to bite the man who yelled in pain.

"Bitch!" Still holding her by the hair, he threw her on the ground where she hit her head on the foot of the fountain. She felt dizzy and her movement became slow.

"Yo! Don't kill her before we taste her!"

"No matter, she'd still be fresh."

" Yo man, that is disgusting!" laughed one of the guys.

"Yeah and it's better when they're struggling a little!"

"The heck with that, I'm going for the main course."

_Chris, where are you?_

The man named Tokugawa, dropped down on his knees beside her and forced her legs open. She did not resist. She gave up. Her head was hurting, and she had no more energy. She cried silently as he tore open her shirt and put his greasy hand under her bras. She never thought that in her lifetime she would get raped. The reality of it was more disturbing than in movies. The stench, the sight, the pain, the humiliation …

He squeezed so hard that she screamed. But the sound was muffled by the man's mouth of top of hers. The taste and smell made her want to vomit.

"Hey sunshine," he said between two greasy kisses, "It's no fun if you don't resist a little!

The other guys laughed while the man lowered his pants and put his weight on her body. She closed her eyes and cried.

She suddenly felt a gust of wind and the man was somehow removed within a second.

She opened her eyes and saw that another guy had been thrown from a distance and landed on him, instantly removing him from her. She could only see those two on the ground, still in shock, looking at each other.

She then saw two hands lift up both men at once and they were thrown to where the three remaining guys were standing. She re-positioned herself and saw Gaara, placing himself between her and them. He glanced at her quickly and covered her chest with a piece of the thorn shirt she was wearing, before reverting his eyes on them. He stared at them, trying to contain the anger. He stood solid and his fists were clenched tight.

The men froze for a few seconds when they recognized him.

"Back off" Gaara said calmly, standing straight.

"Well, if it isn't our great leader! You won't help an injured man but you quickly come to aid a lady!"

"Man? What man?" he replied. "I only see scum."

"Hey! Don't be rude, man!" Said the tall guy, stepping forward, threatening. Gaara stepped forward also.

"Dude! Let's make a deal, okay? You step down as the Kazekage and we'll let you join our feast! What do you say?" said Toku who stood back up.

"Here's my deal. You wait patiently for the police and I will not hurt you … much …"

Another man stepped forward; once again, Gaara stepped forward as well.

"I said. Back. Off."

"Sorry buddy, we don't ship you ...time for you to step down and let the big boys lead the way."

The men threatened him with knives and nunchucks.

Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"You are not seriously considering fighting me …"

They all jumped on him at once. Aby's whole body jerked up, startled. She closed her eyes and waited for it to be over.

Gaara easily avoided their punches and kicks. One kunai, however, reached his right arm as he did not have his chakra infused sand with him to block the attack but he paid it no attention. He didn't attack them once. He was only deflecting their blows, easily. Aby wondered why. She rested her head on the fountain. Her body was hurting, she was cold and couldn't stop the trembling. Why wasn't he attacking them?

Every time Gaara deflected an attack, he kicked a huge cloud of sand in the air. They stopped attacking for a moment and Gaara could see rage on their faces.

"That's enough! Next time I won't hold up," he said, holding his grounds.

Tao spit on the ground and decided to attack Abigail directly. He jumped on her with a kunai, directed at her throat. Gaara rolled his eyes and stopped him in his tracks, grabbing him by the foot.

This time, he attacked as well using TaiJutsu. His blows made sand clouds flying up and occasionally blinding the men.

He swiftly rolled over a man's back, kicked another while doing so; tripping a third one and punching another to the ground.

They would sometimes exchange blows that were almost graceful, a martial art dance between opponents; almost like a choreography. Gaara kept changing opponents as they were stepping on top of one another. At last, Gaara thought they were giving up as a few finally backed away.

"Last chance! Stay still and wait for the police or sleep until you land in jail!"

That didn't sit well with Yao.

"GO TO HELL, BASTARD!"

Gaara sighed and threw a block of sand at the lot. They all got knocked unconscious at once.  
Just like that; It was over.

At that moment, law enforcement arrived, as if on cue. Aby felt she just watched a show.

"Just as you instructed Lord Gaara, we followed the sand!" said a tall officer with a special badge.

_Ohhh_, thought Aby. _That's what the sand show was for … he was leading the police here._

"I see you left some blood in them!"

"If I can help it, I do."

Gaara spoke some more to the men in uniform who saluted him with respect before taking the men in custody.

He then turned to Aby, incredibly relieved that he found her in time. She was given a blanket by one of the officers to cover herself. She jerked up when his hand touched her, still trembling.

"I think she is in shock … we should probably take her to the hospital" the officer suggested before joining his comrades.

"I'm fine," she answered, staring blankly.

Gaara studied her. Her eyes were empty.

"Hey,' he whispered when they were gone, "are you ok?" She did not answer.

She was startled when he touched her hand. She stood up with his help and wobbled left and right, while holding the blanket tightly. He held her hand and observed her. She was shaking.

"Hey, Abigail?"

She looked at him. He never called her by her name before.

"You're ok now … It's over, you're safe."

"Are we going back? To your home?"

"Yes," he said with a gentle smile. "Tori is waiting to eat her cake and get your present!"

How did he know about the present? She looked around and came to the sudden realization that her purse was gone. She teared up again.

"I lost it! I lost the present." She looked down, he was still holding her hand, but he was no longer smiling.

"Are you angry? she asked him. "I'm sorry I brought you trouble again."

He stared at her blank face and drew her in his arms. He held her tightly for a few seconds. To her, it felt warm but surreal. She closed her eyes and calmed down a little.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome."

... 

Going back was slow. She was able to walk, but it was slow and she seemed confused at times, or rather, distracted; Gaara didn't rush her. He just walked along, following her pace, keeping close and supporting her once in a while when she tripped on things she should have seen. Once again, Gaara never said a thing. She knew, somehow, she wasn't all there. Is this what it felt like to be traumatized? She felt exhausted and yet her mind couldn't stop wandering where she didn't want to go back. She shivered and sobbed a few times while remembering ...

When they got to the cleft, he held her again.

"Hold on tight," he said. The sand propelled them up from one side as he made the hand signs, and a sand pillar caught them gently on the other.

There was no one outside. Aby thought it must have been because of the night creatures. She wondered what they looked like. Maybe giant spiders. It was dark now, but Gaara didn't seem nervous about it. He still held her close and walked at a slow pace until they reached the central building.

Sofia came out to greet them and took over Aby. Tori came to see her with a sad face. Once again, Aby seemed to have woken up and remembered Tori's birthday.

"I'm sorry. I had something for you but I lost it … maybe tomorrow …"

She meant to say she would look for it but nausea suddenly startled her and she vomited on the marble floor.

"Oh dear!" A maid shouted coming down the stairs. "Don't worry, miss; we will deal with that. Let us get you to bed as you seem unwell!"

"Quick, bring her something to drink!"

The staff all surrounded her and Sofia, concerned.

"Miss? What happened?!"

Abigail waved the question away … she didn't want to focus on the memory, she didn't want to remember; she was already having issues closing her mind to it; it just went back there over and over again.

"ABY?" Chris appeared out of nowhere and ran to her. "Are you ok? I was really wo—"

Gaara stopped him, again, and this time punched him so hard that he flew a few meters away. Chris sat down and held his jaw, annoyed.

"This is getting to be a bad habit of yours, you know?"

Gaara grabbed him by the collar, lifted him above the ground and pinned him against the wall.

"Why weren't you with her?" he hissed.

Aby watched, halfway up the stairs while a maid and Sofia were holding her. She felt a squeeze in her heart. Why was he here and not looking for her out there?

"I told you! We got separated!"

"Why didn't you go look for her?" asked Sofia, pissed.

"Can you let me go, and speak like a civilized person?"

Gaara lifted him higher and slammed him up against the wall.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"Arg! Because I thought she would come back here to ask for your help!"

"It didn't dawn on you that it might be dangerous?" Gaara hissed, furious.

"No! The guy seemed legit! He was really in a panic mode! You know right?" He slightly turned to Aby. "You thought so too! That's why you followed him! But you guys were so fast and you dropped your purse, so I picked it up and then that was it! I lost you!"

Aby's eyes grew bigger. _He got my bag?_

"Gaa ... Lord Kazekage, calm down, I believe him …" she said with a weak voice.

"Are you kidding?" he yelled in disbelief. "You almost died back there! In a very undignified way!"

"But I got fooled too"

"Aby, it doesn't matter!" Sofia stepped in, "He should not have left you!". She turned to him. "Especially someone who claims to like you! Such a person would feel the need to stay by your side when something doesn't feel right!"

_THANK YOU! _Thought Gaara. _Finally someone with common sense!_

"Aby, they're right. I made a stupid mistake. I'm really sorry." Then Chris turned his grimaced gaze to Gaara. "But you did one too; you should have told her there were people like that … you know she wants to help anybody that crosses her path."

Gaara felt his words like a well placed hit on his chest.

"... Tsss"

He un-handed him and let him fall on the ground. They locked eyes for a moment, both defiant before Gaara joined Aby in the stairs. He took her hand to lead her away. As he did, Chris smirked while rubbing his jaw with the back of his hand.

Aby reached the room and let Gaara help her to the bed.

"I'll send someone to help you to a bath."

"I can do it myself."

"Aby, look at you! You can barely hold up!"

"Tori's birthday—"

"Can wait tomorrow."

"No! Her birthday is today!"

"Listen—"

"She's never had a birthday in a long time!" Aby tried to stand.

"Abigail!"

"Her birthday is today!"

"IT'LL HAVE TO WAIT!"

"NO! TOMORROW, IT WILL BE GONE! IT'LL BE TOO LATE!"

He pushed her back on the bed, hard.

"OW!" She looked up to him with teary eyes.

"What is it with you that you always care TOO MUCH about DETAILS!"

"Because I remembered what it feels like to have a first birthday without your parents! AND I WAS A GROWN WOMAN!"

"SO DO I! FROM WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GUY TO THIS DAY!"

Aby kept quiet. She forgot that. Gaara not only didn't have a mother, but his father tried to kill him many times as he was a kid. She remembered the lie his uncle told him, under his father's orders. Gaara had no one. Not even his siblings were able to care for him when he was little. He didn't have birthdays. He had nothing. Only darkness and hatred. Her experience was nothing compared to his. He was probably right. A birthday date was just a small detail.

"I'm sorry," she said, but she clenched her fists on the bed, she still couldn't shake the idea that Tori was going to miss her birthday.

He came closer and lowered himself to look up to her. He put his hands on her knees.

"Tori won't enjoy herself if you are in that state. A special day doesn't require a particular date. She will be happy tomorrow as well," he whispered.

Aby nodded and her hands loosened a bit.

"I'm gonna go get someone to help you … I don't want to see you until tomorrow morning … unless of course you need something."

"Hey, Ga … Lord Gaara?

"It's ok, just call me by my name." She looked at him surprised.

"Oh, ok … uhm … how do you know when someone is lying?"

He looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"That man, he said he saw you and asked you earlier to help him and his brother. He said you ignored him. How did you know he was lying?"

"Because 'I think'."

"Ok … so … what made you 'think' he was lying?"

"Well … people do not wait a week to seek help when their family or even friends are in deep trouble."

"But, but he said he has been looking for days …"

"Think about it. Let's say one of those kids or Sofia was badly injured … what would you have done?"

"I would have asked for help, obviously!"

"OK, day one is over … no one is helping … their injury is getting worse … they have nothing to eat … they pass out … then what?"

"... I see."

She remembered the man and the way he was acting. She would not have let go of anyone. She would have gone directly to the hospital, or if she would have seen Gaara, she would not have let go of him until he agreed to help. She would have been in a panic mode; shaking, stressed, she would have done anything, she would not have been asking for a week for help … she would have got help right away, somehow.

He put his hand on her head.

"Don't blame yourself. He was right. I should have warned you. You are not used to this village, as I am."

"There are people like that everywhere … my world included. I was stupid." She jerked up with a chill after another piece of memory and she closed her eyes to let it pass, then she looked at his torn sleeve.

"You should have this checked," she said, gently running her finger on the cut on his arm, she was feeling sick again, but tried to ignore it.

"... No, it's just … it's nothing serious." he answered, feeling strange as she touched his arm. She grabbed onto his sleeve when he stood up, so she stood up too, and froze.

She remembered the warmth of his arms earlier and wanted to feel that again; it was like a reflex. Like the automatic reach for a blanket when it's cold; or reaching for a glass of ice cold water when thirsty. In this case, she got up to seek his arms, but stopped herself, feeling awkward ...

She remembered Chris's words. "_He had the opportunity to take you out but he did not take it!" _Gaara was simply doing his duty. Nothing else. There was no "interest" in her. Why would there be? He was a ninja leader, coveted by the many kunoichis, and she was just an annoyance; an inconvenience from another world he couldn't ignore.

But she didn't want to be alone; she didn't want to be alone and remember … and for some reason, she wanted HIM to stay with her. She felt safe with him. She looked him in the eye and forced a smile, resolving herself.

"Thank you for everything you do for us."

"...What's wrong?"

"Uhm? Nothing. You are right. I'm tired. The days are getting better since we met you, but I keep messing up. Maybe I should just stay in this room until we find out how to get home." she giggled.

_Here they are, the sad eyes again, _he thought. His heart twisted again.

Abigail noticed she was still holding on to his sleeve.

"Oh!" She let go.

He didn't know exactly how; his hands just moved on their own, reaching for the sides of her face and brushing her hair with his fingertips. She was burning up. She closed her eyes to the soft touch, without really thinking.

_Just his duty …_

He moved his face close to hers and closed his eyes.

"Lord Kazekage?"

_HOLY MOTHER OF…_

Gaara's heart skipped at least three beats. Aby just fell back on the bed … not sure what was going on, but sad to feel his hands go.

"Yesss Yashikooo" Gaara answered, frustrated and his heart still pounding.

"Your sister is here!"

"Huh?"

"She wants to see you, now! She says she has an important message for you."

"Oh all right … I'm coming!" He looked at Aby.

She was already curled up and snoozing, but her body kept jerking. He pulled the blanket over to her neck and put an extra one over. She seemed to relax a little and even drew a faint smile.

"For a girl who almost got raped and beaten to death, you're doing better than I thought!" he concluded.

He brushed off a strand of hair from her forehead before he left.

...

"Temari?"

"Little bro!" She firmly grabbed his cheeks and gave him a big kiss on his messy hair. She sneezed from the dust. "Did you have another fight again?"

"You say that as if I always get into fights … You're cheerful today?"

"You say that as if I'm always grumpy! Where's Kankuro?"

Not back yet, I presume it won't take much longer. Along with Sasuke and Sakura."

"Oh drat! Fine … hey, where are the two girls and—"

Toshiko and Tori came running to Gaara.

"Niisan, is Neechan ok?" asked Toshiko.

"Ohhhh! My! Aren't you two the cutest things!"

To Gaara's amazement, Temari lifted Tori up and twirled her around.

"Oh what lovely ring you have!"

"Niichan gave me!" Explained Tori with a big smile, as if she had known Temari all her life.

"You are _seriously_ cheerful today …" said Gaara, honestly puzzled.

"What? Can't I be happy about seeing my little brothers? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I guess … So, what is this important message you need to tell me?"

"Oh, it can wait … where are the other girls? Oh! Is that a cake?!" She looked at Gaara confused. Gaara did not like sweets.

"It's a birthday cake for Tori," Sofia said, as she entered the hall.

"Ohhh, it's your birthday? How lucky!"

"But Nee-chan is sick," Tori said sadly. Gaara lowered himself to the little girl's level and gave her a smile.

"She will be better tomorrow. Wouldn't it be better to celebrate your birthday with everybody? She has something for you that she is very excited to give you."

Tori smiled and ran after Toshiko, following a maid to prep for bedtime. Temari observed him with a grin.

"What?"

"Nothin'!" she said, still smiling.

"Did you come alone?"

"Shikamaru came too."

She pointed outside and turned to Sofia, while Gaara went out to greet him.

"You look just like them! Well, you know, except you have Sunagakure's local clothing. It suits you!"

"Are you talking about Matt and Hazy? How are they?"

"They're good … no worries. Kakashi is already training them, ha ha."

"Training? For what?"

"They wanted to learn self defense, although it was our Hokage's idea … he's having Lee teaching them taijutsu! I'm Temari by the way, the eldest of the famous 'sand siblings'!"

... 

Gaara walked out and saw Shikamaru and Chris stare at each other, both obviously forcing a smile. Gaara detected arrogance in Chris's. Shikamaru was observing, without breaking eye contact.

"It was nice meeting you," said Chris to Shikamaru before leaving. He crossed paths with Gaara.

"Is she gonna be ok?" he asked.

"...yes," he said coldly.

"Awesome! Thank you for protecting her … my Lord."

Chris gave a forced bow, without breaking eye contact, and left to join the girls.

The night was clear and full of stars. Gaara shivered as he remembered what almost happened.

_She is having a strange effect on me, _he thought.

The night was quiet and cool. They could hear the cicadas in the deep darkness of the sleeping village. They both nodded to each other as a greeting and looked back where Chris disappeared.

"... I don't like him," he told Shikamaru.

"I don't like him either."

"Right? I'm not crazy! There's something wrong with this guy!"

Shikamaru lit up a cigarette, using his old sensei's pocket lighter.

"I feel that I know this guy. I'm sure of it … I've seen him somewhere."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, he gives me that vibe of … déja-vu, although it would be impossible since he is not from this world …"

They looked at each other as the same question passed through their mind, and went back inside where they were greeted by the group, except Aby.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Sasuke was sweating profusely. He looked ahead at Kankuro and Sakura. Their voices were like echoes and they were becoming fuzzy. He shook his head to try to make his sight sharp again. He could feel the blood pounding in his head and felt the pulse in his right shoulder. He tried to focus on the scenery in the distance but everything was a confusing mess of colors that didn't make sense. He also couldn't think straight anymore. He looked ahead at Sakura and for a second, thought about telling her that something was wrong. No. No way he would rely on her. She was supposed to rely on him. No? He remembered the dreams and brought his hands to his face, drenched with sweat. He had to lay down. He was tired; that was all. Maybe if he told this lie to himself over and over again, his body would believe it. Sakura turned to him.

"What do you think, Sasuke?" she said, laughing. "Sasuke?"

"Hm? Sorry, I w-wasn't …" he started in a slur, almost losing his balance, "... paying attention."

Sakura instantly felt a cold sweat running down her spine.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just n-need … just need ..."

Sakura shrieked as Sasuke collapsed. She reached out to him in panic; he was extremely hot.

"Sasuke, you idiot! Why didn't you say anything!"

Kankuro kneeled down beside him and listened to his breathing.

"Something is wrong with him."

"You think?" she answered sarcastically. "Sasuke! Tell me what's wrong! Hey! Sasuke?"

"He's not responsive …"

Sakura stripped him down from the neck. She saw the cut. It was black and slithering down like roots to his chest.

"Infection?" suggested Kankuro.

Sakura shook her head, thinking back at the guy who licked the blade. He was the one Sasuke was fighting with.

"Poison," she whispered, trembling, "OK …" she said to herself taking a deep breath, "Breathe … Kankuro, you know those little white flowers that look like drops of water?"

"Yes! Like the ones we saw by the river we passed!"

"Go back there and bring me a whole bunch, quickly! And also some of the bark from the willow tree we passed a few minutes ago. Please, hurry!"

Sakura removed Sasuke's cloak and shirt, rolled them and placed them under his neck and head. His eyes were half closed, not staring at anything in particular, and he was short of breath. She clicked her fingers near his ear but he did not seem to notice, neither did he notice when she moved her finger in front of his eyes. His mind was already gone.

_How did it get worse so quickly!_

She puts her hands over his body and waved them around to find the critical spot to heal first. His heart was not steady. She decided to start there. A green hue dropped from her hands and entered Sasuke's chest. He took a deep breath, feeling the instant pressure relief. _She gave him a quick glance once in a while to see if he was conscious. _He was still sweating a lot.

Kankuro came running back with the items Sakura asked him for.

"Get the collapsible bowl in my bag, wash it quickly with some water from my gourd and once it is clean, give me all the flowers and put them in my mouth."

Kankuro did not dare to question her instructions.

While he rinsed the bowl, she continued.

"I'm going to make a paste with these flowers and apply to his wound. While I do that, if you could put water in that bowl you just washed and soak the bark in it.

While she used both her hands to transfer healing chakra into Sasuke's body, Kankuro put the flowers in her mouth. She chewed the bitter flowers for a minute or two and spat the greyish paste on his chest. With one hand she started to spread it on the cut on his shoulder, pushing deep in the wound. His teeth grinded from the pain.

"Sorry Sasuke … it'll burn."

She imagined the paste already being absorbed by the wounds and making their way across the roots formed by the poison, going through the hearts, pumping through all the body. She kept pushing and massaging the painful wound as she saw Sasuke reacting to the process.

She put some of the paste in the bark water mixture and mixed the whole thing with one hand, rubbing the bark inside the water. It turned greenish brown quickly. Her other hand was still helping his heart beat steadily.

"Can you help me lift his head up? He needs to drink it."

Kankuro obliged, but as she slowly poured the liquid in his mouth, it ran back down his chin.

"Crap! Kankuro, hold him tight …"

She put the bitter water in her own mouth and gave it to him by mouth, forcing him to swallow the concoction. He choked on it the first few times his body eventually took the liquid. She did twice more … than gave him the rest from the bowl, seeing that he was swallowing on his own.

Kankuro watched the whole thing mesmerized … _this woman is amazing!_

It wasn't how she dreamed their first kiss would be.

"This water mixture will help with the fever and the healing. Kankuro, we can't go any further. If I let go of his chest, he could go into cardiac arrest. Go on without us … and if you could find some help to bring us back I would really appreciate it!"

"Got it! Leave it to me!"

She wondered if Sasuke would be ok by the next day.

_How long do I have to help his heart beat like this?_

She knew she wouldn't be able to go on for too long … she wondered if she could hold on until the morning. She would use the small amount of chakra she had stored, shown in the tiny diamond spread on her forehead. It took a long time to gather, but she would do it for Sasuke's sake.

Kankuro, before leaving, built his tent around her and Sasuke. Then he left his water portion to Sakura.

"Are you sure?" she said.

"I'll be back in Suna in the morning, no … before that … I'll go as fast as I possibly can. I'll send help. Take care until then." He turned to Sasuke. "You too pal!"

Sasuke did not respond.

... 

Aby woke up. She was curled up under the blanket. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes and remembered the events. She shivered at those memories and hid her head in the blanket where it was safe and warm. It took her a few minutes to shake it off. She had to switch her mind to something pleasant. She could still smell the stench of the guys. It was all over her clothes; her torn clothes. Gaara saw that. She remembered the glance he gave her when he placed himself between her and the creeps. Just how much did he see? Enough to cover her. She yawned and sat down.

"Ow!". Her body was aching, but her mind was much sharper. She looked at the shirt. It was not covering anything. She shivered again. She couldn't shake the memories off; their voices, their hands, his mouth … she put the blanket over her head again. She needed to think of something else. Nothing else really happened … thanks to Gaara. Boy, was she thankful. But he saw her … and he brought her back. She took the blanket off her face.

_And he held me in his arms._

It felt really good. She smiled and removed the blanket altogether. She was supposed to take a bath, she guessed they thought it best to let her sleep. She was such a mess. She was glad Gaara talked some sense into her. She turned to the mirror and saw her face. She had a bruise on her forehead and arms.

She heard a couple of knocks on the door and the same young maid came in.

"How are you feeling today, miss?"

"Better thank you, but where can I take a bath?

The maid led her to a huge room with a huge bath held on feet, adorned with dozens of colored bottles. She thought most of them were some kind of bubble bath. Some were body perfumes, soaps, shampoos, lotions, creams, etc.

She giggled; she didn't believe Gaara used all this stuff. Maybe the female staff were allowed to wash in here?

_Maybe Temari used to … or his mother? How old was that stuff?!_

She stripped down and entered the water, overflowing with bubbles, the fragrances appeased her and she let the hot water do its job. _Even Queen Elizabeth is not pampered like that, _she thought with a smile.

She got out an hour later and joined the group who were talking noisily. There were more people this time. Gaara was the first to see her. He gave her a greeting nod, relieved to see her relaxed expression.

"Abigail!". Sofia screamed and went to meet her with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you ok? What happened yesterday? I mean, 'eyeliner guy' told us a little but …"

_Eyeliner guy?! _

Gaara glanced at Sofia, with a scornful frown.

"I'm fine! Much better! See?" Aby twirled in the new clothes she was given. "The bath helped a lot. Thank you for yesterday, Gaara!"

The group looked at him startled. Yashiko was a little flustered that she would call him by his name, without using a title, or honorific at the very least, but Gaara didn't seem to be the least bothered by it. He just nodded humbly.

She went to sit at the table and her eyes sparkled when she recognized the new couple.

"Oh! You are Temari! AND SHIKAMARU!"

Temari got excited.

"See? They told us she would recognize us instantly! She really knows us!"

"Hazel and Matthew? How are they?!"

Gaara smiled as Aby beamed with joy; which was not unnoticed by Temari.

"They're fine! We still have to decide if they will come here or if we'll escort you to Konoha." Shikamaru said.

Sofia pulled Aby's sleeve.

"What did you say his name was?"

"I'm Nara Shikamaru. This is Lord Gaara's sister, Temari, my wife.

Sofia thought for a moment and her eyes grew bigger. She remembered …

"Oh! Are you the puppy that wouldn't allow 'eyeliner guy' to sleep?"

They all looked at her, surprised.

"... HUHHH?!"

Shikamaru was so red he could have blended with a tomato.

"Sofia, what are you talking about?" asked Aby.

"You told us the other day that Gaara had dark circles around his eyes because he had insomnia, because Shikamaru wouldn't let him sleep? And then, he left him so he could sleep again, but you thought he was wearing eyeliner to keep a fierce appearance.

Aby digested her words and finally understood. She burst out laughing at the silly thought that Shikamaru was driving Gaara with insomnia. She shook uncontrollably while crying with laughter.

Gaara on the other hand was all flustered, so was Shikamaru.

"Hey! Who's wearing makeup?!" Gaara said, furious.

"WHO'S GAARA'S DOG?!"

Now it was Temari who was laughing uncontrollably, picturing Gaara going to her room, going through her makeup and applying eyeliner.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA"

Aby was trying to say something but the words were not coming out. She was hysterically laughing.

The rest of the group started to catch the contagious laughter. Obviously, Sofia missed some important piece of information about all this. The maids started to peek in the room to see what the commotion was all about.

Aby calmed down eventually, wiping away the tears rolling down.

"It's name ... oh my God ... it's name was Shukaku, not Shikamaru! And he was not a puppy! He was the one tailed beast. A raccoon demon that was sealed inside his body from birth. He would threaten to destroy everything and take complete control over Gaara if he fell asleep."

"Oh!"

"His power would be at his maximum when I was asleep," added Gaara, still feeling insulted. "So I taught myself not to sleep so I wouldn't destroy the village … well, so he would not destroy the village; so yeah, my eyes were a lot darker back then."

Akio smiled at Aby and Sofia who were both staring at Gaara's eyes for obvious reasons.

"I am NOT wearing makeup!"

Temari almost fell off her chair, but Shikamaru held her.

"Watch it stupid!"

"Hey, you! Who's stupid?"

"Well, why are your eyes still dark?" shyly asked Aby.

"Why does Naruto have whisker marks?"

"He was born with them because of Kurama … ohhh!"

It suddenly made perfect sense. She was 'face palming' herself for not even thinking about it before. A birthmark from his Kiuubi; his demon was a raccoon, so he was born with black circles around his eyes.

Sofia 'face palmed' herself as well.

"Shukaku! … I'm sorry … The names sound alike …"

Shikamaru grumbled to himself, while Temari was still laughing.

"So you don't have Shukaku anymore?" asked Sofia.

Gaara explained how it happened. Sofia was very intrigued. She didn't know anything about Naruto's Characters and story, but she was getting very interested.

"Shukaku is no longer in me, but he still roams around, freely. We speak from time to time."

"You are friends now?"

"Tailed beasts were misunderstood creatures for a long time. Naruto made it possible for this relationship. Being around humans for hundreds of years changed their opinion about us. We were, after all, using them as possessions and weapons, instead of respecting them as beings. Once Naruto understood that, he was able to appeal to their good nature and create a bond between them and us."

Aby was listening to him, her cheek, resting on her hand, admiring his hand gestures as he was explaining all this. She remembered his hands gently holding her face, then she sighed and looked away. She reminded herself that he was out of her league.

"Amazing story!" shouted Chris when he came into the room. Gaara watched him and instantly looked at Aby.

"Hi!" he said to her while sitting down beside her.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry about yesterday. Really, I am."

"I know" she smiled.

"When he said you were not back I got very worried. Then you came back and you were hurt and looked like … anyway. I'm so, so, so sorry …"

"I know, it was a misunderstanding, don't worry about it!" she said smiling.

Gaara sighed in frustration and looked away.

Temari watched the exchange and her brother's reaction. He was usually very good at hiding his emotions. There was something new here … he had told them what had happened. Honestly she thought the girl was a little naive to trust so easily.

Chris smiled at Aby and put the purse in front of her. She smiled back and took it.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said softly. He looked at a basket full of bread beside her. Instead of reaching in front of her to get one, he purposely went from behind, brushing himself against her back and balancing himself by putting his hand on her shoulder.

She thought the obvious gesture was cute. He took a piece and put it in her mouth. Shikamaru and Gaara looked disgusted. Temari raised an eyebrow. The guy was not holding back! She glanced towards Gaara; His face was blank again.

_Hmm_

Tori's voice came through the door. She was followed by Toshiko and Akio.

"Birthday Cake! Birthday Cake!"

"What? It's still morning!" said Chris.

Tori pulled her tongue at him.

"I think she waited long enough," said Gaara, amused.

"Is it someone's birthday?" Kankuro appeared in the doorway; out of breath and dirty.

"Oh! Kangaroo!" Announced Sofia happily.

"It's Kan. ku. ro! What is going on? Oh! Tema! You guys are here too!"

"Yes! I had something to …"

"It'll have to wait, sis … Gaara, something happened …"

Aby gave Tori and Toshiko a huge piece of cake. She watched Gaara and Kankuro talk, a concerned look on their face.

_Sasuke and Sakura,_ she thought.

Gaara asked a maid for his travel cloak.

"Something happened to Sasuke. Sakura is trying hard to keep him alive …"

"What? What the …" Shikamaru stood up. "I'm coming too!"

"Fine"

"Lord Gaara!" Baki suddenly showed up in the doorway. "Are you going somewhere again?"

"Sakura and Sasuke are in trouble, in Wind Country territory. I need to-"

"I understand my Lord, but you have been away from your position for quite a while already…" Baki watched him with a serious face, hoping he would get the hint."

Gaara stared back in complete shock, he suddenly felt sick.

"My Lord," started Baki, cautious of his position. "Before going, I suggest you stop at your office and … analyse the situation … before it gets out of hand …"

Gaara's face turned white. He completely forgot about his duties! How? How did HE forget about the Kazekage's duties! He froze, not knowing what to do.

"Baki …"

"Say no more. I will go. Yashiko, you are coming too!" said Gaara's old sensei.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Gaara stared blankly at the screen in front of him. It was new technology that he did not use often. He felt that most government stuff was better dealt with by hand then by computer; although more accurate, Shikamaru made him realize that new technology's data might not be full proof against nosy people yet. In this case though, the pile of accumulated work made him panic for the first time, since he became Kazekage. It might be faster using the computer, or would it? He was mentally weighing the pros and cons.

His mind was a whirlwind of chaotic responsibilities that he could not untangle at the moment, which was reflected by the amount of work all around him. He was dumbfounded and didn't quite know how to tackle the work. He was usually organised, nothing was ever out of place so now, he sat in front of the computer and stared, frowning. He could not see the keyboard; it was flooded by disorganized papers. How did it become like this? He closed his eyes and counted to three. After three, he would get to work … the first thing he would grab would be the beginning of his day.

1.2.3.

He saw Abigail's smiling eyes in his head, all the responsibilities were pushed aside. She was in his arms, her head against his chest and his body shivered at the memory.

"DAMMIT! Now is not the time!"

His fists landed hard on the desk.

"I can help!" said Aby, shyly.

Gaara lifted his head. She was in the doorway, looking inside in awe.

"It's your fault it's like this to begin with!" he said to himself, and annoyed.

_I can't keep you out of my head! You manage to distract me! _Is what he wanted to say, but of course, it wasn't her fault.

"I know," she said, lowering her head in shame.

"Oh! No … I didn't mean it that way …" he realized that she thought he was accusing her of causing trouble.

"Let me help. There's got to be something I can do!"

"Mmm, let's see, have you ever run a country before?"

"... no?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Go back to your friends, Abigail."

"Call me Aby! We're friends now! I mean … I hope we are … we are, right?"

He raised his tired eyes to stare at her.

"You're drowning here! Let me give you a hand! Sort stuff, type something, answer complaints, anything that would be helpful and decrease your workload …"

He looked at the pile of letters behind him. A little bell of hope started ringing on one side of his brain; His conscience yelled at him on the other side: "_not her business! This is confidential stuff! How can you even consider … you don't know that girl that much … she is going to mess up things anyway!"_

He looked at her, with thoughtful eyes, still struggling to make a decision; any help should be at least from a Shinobi who understands Suna ...

"Can you sort these by level of emergency?" he finally asked, already regretting the question.

"Done!" she said, grabbing the pile behind him.

She went to organise herself and the huge pile of papers on a small table in the corner. She put her feet up and started to read the letters. Gaara watched her putting the paper here and there, raising an eyebrow, then throwing the paper in the trash, to his surprise.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Would you like to answer a challenge to overthrow you from your position as the Kazekage?" she said while reading another letter.

He rolled his eyes and looked back at the monitor.

"... never mind"

"As I thought," she said with a smirk.

A couple of minutes worth of sorted letters went by when she noticed the steady pace of "tic, tac, tac, from the keyboard. He was trying to type something, but was painfully slow.

"What are you typing?" she asked. He looked at her for a few seconds, annoyed by the curiosity, then looked back at the little screen.

"That's none of your business."

Abigail sighed, "Sorry…"

Gaara sighed in return and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"An answer to a company's inquiry. They lost a part of their assets. They want to know what I can do for them." He said, still typing.

Aby stood up and went beside him.

"Move," she said.

"...EXCUSE ME?"

"If you go on like that, you will die of old age before you finish." She literally pulled him out of his chair.

"What the … You wouldn't even know what to answer!"

"That is why you will tell me what you want to write! I'll type it for you! See? Like a secretary!"

Gaara stared at the load he had and growled in frustration. Never has he, in his life, shared his work to the detail with someone. Not even Baki. This was definitely out of his comfort zone, but the sun was already high in the sky; time was against him, and so was his workload.

"OK fine, but whatever I say, you don't question it, got it? Just type it!

"Yeah, Yeah"

"No matter what!"

"Yes! Fine! Tic Tok on the clock, boss!" she said laughing.

Gaara was pacing back and forth, dictating what to write. To his astonishment, Abigail typed swiftly as he was saying the words, without needing a break or asking to repeat what he said. _So fast!_

"... so it is important to … no … it is the 'utmost importance' to not save on the quality materials for the goods. Although counter intuitive, it is better to create great, long lasting goods, than to create lower quality products that will be more likely to be defective and hence, be more costly in the long run …"

"Smart" interrupted Aby while typing.

Gaara sighed, annoyed to be interrupted. She whispered a tiny 'Sorryyy'.

"Do not worry about expenses," he continued. "I will make sure to provide them with the council's blessings, or, if need be, from personal funds, at low interest. As for the damage to the main gate and the replacement of the …"

Gaara noticed she was not typing, but staring at the screen, pensive.

"You mean … you're gonna pay from your own pockets?" she asked, reading the question mark on his face.

"I said no questions!" he replied disapprovingly.

"... Can I suggest something?"

"No. Now, regarding the—" Gaara continued dictating.

"It's worth listening, I think," she said looking at the screen.

"What I do with my money is—"

"No, no, it's admirable … but I wouldn't mention it; that it'd be from your own pocket I mean …"

"..." _She has the balls to give him advice now?!_

"Because they might take advantage of this in the future. Also they might brag about it to other companies who might complain about favoritism and demand that you give them money as well."

_Mmm she has a point … _he fell flustered to admit it. He searched for another way to phrase it but Aby started to type again, reading out loud at the same time.

"... 'Do not worry about expenses as it will definitely be provided to you at a low interest fee that will be decided shortly.' How's that?"

"Not bad, not bad at all," Gaara nodded.

They spent the whole day analyzing, answering. They were able to deal with most of the backed up paperwork and damage reports.

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was now taking care of his daily paperwork, she had a feeling he would not stop until it was all completed, which was probably gonna take all night. He was so focused on his work; reading and writing some stuff. She found him very inspiring.

_He's so young, yet dealing with so much important stuff …_

He was frowning while reading, making the pen dance between his fingers, like everybody else in the world. He straightened his body and glanced her way for a second.

_I'm staring too much_, she thought. Her stomach growled.

She ignored the obvious message her body was telling her and read another complaint letter from Sunagakure's residents. They called those letters "complaints", but they were actually a mixture of inquiries, praises, insults and demands … public stuff. She blushed as she read the next one, not knowing how to position herself. She felt uncomfortable by the content and also a little upset.

"Oh my…" _There's also people like that here?_

"What is it?"

"Well …" she wasn't sure if she should throw that one away or ask him first. She was almost certain it was to be discarded; but she felt it wasn't for her to decide; She looked at him with a shy, embarrassed face.

"What is it? Another threat?"

"Oh no … nothing like that. Actually," she paused, searching for words, "You might see this as a praise … maybe …" She re-positioned herself.

"This … lady … well uhm, she would like to know if you … uh …"

Gaara blankly looked at her and the paper while she juggled the words in her head.

"Well, she thinks you are a very good leader, as we all do," she laughed to hide her embarrassment. "And she thinks you're … well, let's just say she is fond of you. She says here that she can only imagine how lonely you must be, not having … a woman by your side … she would like to know if … uh … you'd be interested in … uhm ..."

"Interested in what? Meeting her? I get that all the time … I always tell them I'm too busy to date anyone."

He smiled while getting back to his paperwork. The ladies were very charming, but they saw him more as an idol from the great war and a leader, than the person he was behind the Kazekage.

She looked at him, mouth opened. _Idiot, I wouldn't be all flustered if the request was dinner! You clueless ... _"No she is talking about s … spending the night … together … with her ..."

He stopped typing.

"... and a couple of friends …" she added with a very small voice, not looking at him.

"Oh …"

"Though that's not quite how she phrased it …" She handed the letter over to him, holding it with her finger tips, still avoiding eye contact, as if that would hide the redness of her face. He took it and read quickly through it.

"... Well … that's a first …" he cleared his throat and looked at Abigail.

"Let's just ignore that one," he said, throwing it in the wastebasket.

For some reason she felt relieved. She watched Gaara's face for the first time since reading the letter. He was completely red, venting himself with the current paperwork he was looking at.

Her stomach growled again, she covered it with her hands. Wasn't he hungry?

"I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"hmm"

... 

Sakura watched Sasuke sleeping, fighting her own heavy eyelids. He would sometimes talk in his sleep. His body was still fighting the poison, but he seemed better. She stubbornly kept her eyes open, sometimes falling to her side. She was so tired. Her chakra was almost completely depleted.

_Kankuro, where are you?_

Sasuke choked again, coughed violently. Sakura hit his chest with both hands and he was able to breathe again. This time he woke up, still sweating, but aware of his surroundings. He felt very sick. He watched Sakura put up a fight with fatigue. She glared back at him, obviously angry.

"You idiot …" she said, her eyes half closed. "You darn idiot, you almost died on me. Three times!"

Talking helped her stay awake, but she was shaking. Her body was begging her to go to sleep.

"You're not even out of the woods yet! And there you are, looking at me with those annoyed eyes, as usual …"

He did not answer. He was not particularly annoyed, he was just feeling so sick. He did not dare to move.

"That wound … you could have told me. You SHOULD have told me. I TOLD you … to tell me!"

Tears ran down her cheeks. "What was all that talk about? Me being a medical ninja who could be useful? You didn't even tell me you were hurt? What the HELL?"

"I'm sorry,"

"Ohhhh, you are? Aren't you? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHAT AM I TO YOU?"

"Sakura …"

"AM I SO ANNOYING THAT YOU DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING? EVEN WHEN YOUR DYING? AM I THAT INCAPABLE IN YOUR EYES?"

"If I thought that, I wouldn't have asked you to come with me," he said, fighting the urge to vomit.

"And yet you don't tell me anything! I noticed it, you know! You've been avoiding me for a long time now. You won't even look at me! WHY DID YOU EVEN ASK ME TO COME?" Tears of intense sorrow and anger flowed out. She had to scream to keep her voice from shaking.

"Be … because I ... I told you …"

Sasuke held his painful head in his hand.

"What, your promise? It means nothing! I didn't want to come because of a promise … I didn't want you to promise just because of … duty or, to be nice or … whatever! I wanted you to trust me! I wanted you to WANT me to travel with you!"

"I told you, I wanted you to come with me."

"Then why are you avoiding me?!"

"Sakura, my head is hurting …"

"WHY?"

"Because … You're yelling ..."

"WHY ARE YOU AVOIDING ME!"

Sasuke closed his eyes and his hand fell down on his side. He laid back down, his body shivering.

Sakura angrily threw the cold wet cloth on Sasuke's head and pressed firmly to bring down the pain.

Her face was right above his.

"Be … because, I don't know ..."

He couldn't let her know about the dreams he's been having.

"Pfff, bull-crap," she said, putting more pressure.

"I don't know how to tell you."

"Just say you're not into me, I'm not your type, whatever! Make it clear for cryin ..."

The kiss took her by surprise. He pulled her head to his and just kissed her. She did not pull back, but her eyes were open wide with shock. He let go and opened his eyes.

She stared; her eyes inquired, searched for a reason. Was he ok? Was SHE ok? He just stared back; his eyes were softer than usual.

"I didn't know how to tell you," he almost whispered. His hand caressed the side of her face. He wiped the path made by the previous angry tears.

"What?"

The word came out in the shape of tears. She didn't understand the words he was saying. She was stuck between shock and disbelief. Although she had been waiting for this for so long, now it seemed like it didn't make any sense.

He slowly sat down and kissed her again; but this time, slowly and delicately. Since when was he gentle? Her whole body trembled and she became light headed. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. That kiss was so delicious that she forgot to breathe. She half expected him to draw back from her kiss, but he did not. On the contrary, he received it with more passion.

That was not how she imagined their first kiss. It was so, so much better.

It would have been even better if he hadn't passed out right then.

... 

When Kankuro arrived with a few horses, he saw Sakura sobbing, looking at Sasuke who was lying seemingly lifeless.

Baki came into the tent and looked at the scene.

"Oh ..." He put his hand on his chest as a sign of respect and gave a little bow. "I'm sure you have done whatever could be done Haruno-San," he said, a hand on his chest and the other on her shoulder.

"We were too late! How can this be! Uchiha? Dead?" cried Kankuro in shock. Sakura shook her head.

"No! … He … is f...fine, j … just sleep … sleeping."

"Ohhhh!" They both said relieved.

Then, why was she crying?

Shikamaru, who came in last, was also full of questions; but he felt best to just help Sakura up on a horse and let her rest. She rode with Yashiko. She wasn't a fan of horses, but she was very grateful she wouldn't have to walk. Yashiko blushed when she put her head against his back and her arms around his waist. She was already sleeping.

"Miss Haruno must have expensed a lot of chakra! She can barely keep her eyes open!" he said smiling.

Sasuke was a tall man, Shikamaru thought best to let him ride with Kankuro, who was a little more built than him. He raised him up, with Kankuro's help and they instantly rode toward Suna. Shikamaru and Baki were last. They pulled down the tent and took Sakura's backpack and followed the other two closely.

It was getting dark; the road would be a little more dangerous until they reached the gates of Sunagakure.

Aby put the bento in front of Gaara, who was focused on his work.

"I brought you something to eat!"

"Thanks,"

She saw the infamous crumpled letter from earlier back on his desk.

_Don't tell me …_

She couldn't help but feel irritated. Gaara followed her gaze and noticed the paper.

"Oh! No, that's not …"

"Hey it's ok, you don't have to hide it or be embarrassed in front of me … if you want to go, then just go!"

"No!" he said, feeling insulted. "It's not what you think, OK? I was just looking for something I threw out earlier and so I put a few random papers out of the basket … including that one … the rest just happened to be on the floor. See?"

Her face clearly showed she didn't buy it, which grew the insult even more.

"I won't judge, I mean, sure it's not my cup of tea but for others…"

"I'M NOT THAT KINDA GUY, OK? Arrr … why do I even need to justify myself!"

He angrily picked up all the papers, including the troubling one and put them back in the wastebasket, kicking it further away, where it fell on its side and spilled most of its content; He didn't pay any attention to it. His face was now crimson with anger. What kind of guy did she believe him to be? Why didn't she believe him? He wasn't sure, deep inside, what he was more angry about; that she believed he would be that kind of guy, or that she "wouldn't judge him" for being that way.

"Ok! Ok! … You should take a break," she said.

"I can't take a break," he said, coldly.

"Gaara! You must be tired! You did not eat anything all day!"

"I can't take a break," he repeated, clenching his teeth.

"Gaara, even the best rulers have breaks, your body can't function if you don't fuel—"

"WOULD YOU MIND YOU OWN DAMNED BUSINESS, ALREADY?"

He didn't know why he snapped like that, but regretted it instantly. It wasn't like him. He lowered his head, in frustration, his hands at the back of his head.

That girl drove him mad. She was right, most of the time, and he didn't like to be reminded of that. Not by her. Not because he disliked her … but because he was the Kazekage! HE was supposed to be the one showing he had everything under control! Why was everything going wrong when she was around?

She pushed the bento box closer to him.

"I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone. If you don't mind, I'd like to go back home … I mean … to the main residence"

"Of course you can go!"

Once again, his tone contradicted his meaning. He meant it as "you have done a lot already, go and rest, the rest I can handle".

She obviously took it as "Yes please just leave already so I can get back to work!"

She bowed her head and left quickly.

He growled at himself and held his head with his hands. How did it become like this? What was going on with him? He found her annoying, yet he enjoyed being with her. He wanted her close but he pushed her away every time.

"What is wrong with me?"

... 

Aby crossed the bridge from the office to the main building, where the rooms were. She looked out every window as she was crossing. The wind was picking up in Suna. She saw clouds of golden sand moving twirling around. The crescent moon was very high, and big. A few clouds were passing by. Some night lights were lit (most were broken) but the streets were empty.

People were home already. Soon there was no visibility at all outside. She stopped at a window, astonished at how fast the weather changed in a few seconds. _Just like his temper … Is that what they called a sand storm?_

"Pretty sick, huh?" Temari was going to meet with Gaara. She stopped to see what Abigail was looking at.

"Yeah … I've never seen one before. It must be scary out there!"

"No one is out when there's a sand storm. They come very fast and are usually unpredictable. The night ones are the worst! That's when the creatures come out. They usually stay outside of the village, but when the visibility is like that, they get in the village, trying to snatch the few unfortunates who would still be trying to find their way home."

"Are there a lot … dying?"

"There used to be. But things got better since Gaara became Kazekage. He made his priority to protect the people of Suna. He demanded the council build a few storm shelters throughout the village, in case people were caught in the storm, away from home."

"Amazing," said Aby admiringly. Temari watched her sideways.

"You realized that he risked his life that night?"

Aby gave Temari an inquisitive look.

"The Kazekage never moves at night. Gaara made himself the exception, but only if absolutely necessary. To appeal to the council that does not want to endanger the Kazekage's life, he will usually send other shinobis to rescue someone."

"Like he did when Hakuto ran away …" Aby looked back outside the window. There were huge shadows moving in the storm.

Temari stopped smiling and watched Aby.

"You know about that story?"

"Yes," Aby looked down at her feet. "Did he, Gaara I mean; did he ever see her again?"

"I don't believe he did. He rarely goes to Konoha."

"I wonder what he felt like. I mean, I know he was disappointed, of course but …" She sighed. "It's not fair …"

"Abigail?"

"Gaara is so … of all the charact … all the people, why doesn't he get to experience love?"

She thought about the lewd letter again. Why wouldn't he want to go? As a man, if one can't get love, isn't it normal to at least want to experience the carnal pleasures?

She blushed; some women were like that too. To her though, sexual intercourse had so much more value if it was with love. Sofia seemed to not be bothered by it, seemingly enjoying it just for fun. Although she knew her to be loyal to her boyfriends, but when she was not in a relationship, she seemed to be very open to the idea of a one night stand. Aby was not like that. She was the romantic type.

"I don't know,'' said Temari. "I really wish he could find someone. I want him to know how it feels like to have someone to share everything with. To wake up in the morning and see his messy hair. To cuddle with him when it's raining and cold. To have him hug you tight when you're making breakfast …"

"... You want Gaara to have a male friend?" she asked with a smirk.

"Oh no no, ha ha ha, I'm sorry … I've been rambling about my own experiences. Love … it's another entirely different world. It's beautiful, it's fragile, it's … amazing!"

Aby watched Temari hugging herself as she was listing all the pros of having a lover by her side. It was quite adorable. Aby could have sworn seeing stars and pink hearts dancing around her. Then she became serious.

"Gaara had none of that. Not even his father's love. He had no friends and we were instructed, Kankuro and I, not to even play with him. He was just a kid …"

Temari became very emotional.

"Uhm, you ok?"

"Yes …" she wipes her face with her sleeve. "Come to think of it, I came all this way to see him, I better go!"

Temari disappeared on the other side of the tunnel, leading to the Kazekage's office. Abigail smiled; she didn't remember Temari being so sensitive. She went passed her bedroom, towards the kids' room. Sofia was standing near her own room, talking to Kankuro about horses. Sofia loved horses. They seemed to be busy; Aby thought about greeting them later. She noticed that his hair and clothes were covered with sand.

_Don't tell me they just came back now? In the storm?_

She slowly entered the room. Tori was sleeping with her new bracelet on; The little box still in her hand, and drool leaked out of her mouth, down her chin, and on the pillow. Toshiko was sleeping on his stomach, almost across from her sister. Their legs were intertwined. She smiled at the siblings.

"You should have seen her! She was walking around all day long, admiring her bracelet, pretending to be a princess!"

Chris was standing in the doorway. _Where did he come from?  
_  
"I'm glad she likes it! I remembered liking girly stuff when I was little."

Tori's face was priceless when she opened the box. Her eyes had sparkled like never before and thanked her a billion times. She was happy that she was able to make the little girl happy.

She looked around as she came out. There were old stuffed toys all around. In the corner, near the door, were some sand buckets that were recently used. There were two old dolls. Aby assumed, with a smile, that these toys must have belonged to the sand siblings when they were kids. She remembered watching the anime, a particularly sad episode showing Gaara playing by himself, putting sand in a bucket. She looked at the stuffed animal and wondered if one of these could have belonged to him.

She came out of the room and joined Chris.

"Its very nice of the staff to bring out old toys for them,"

"The 'sister' thought about it; she told the staff to find their old toys and to bring them to their room so they could play with them."

Aby closed the door and turned to Chris.

"Hi!" he said smiling.

"Hi," she smiled back. "Did they just come back?" she pointed to Kankuro who walked towards the main banquet room to have a bite to eat.

"Yep, a few minutes ago … Ninja boy is in a bad shape, though they are saying he'll be ok,"

_Sasuke?  
_  
"And Sakura?"

"The pink hair girl? She was sleeping like a baby …"

"She must have been very worried ..."

Aby watched Chris giving her an inquisitive look.

"She is in love with him," she explained.

"Ohhhhhhhh …"

He fixed a strand of hair on her forehead, which took her by surprise.

"How was your day, with the boss?" he said with a smirk.

"Oh, it was … fine. We were … he was able to finish most of the late stuff, to my understanding anyway, but I think he's going to stay much later tonight."

He studied her face.

"What's wrong," he asked.

"Huh? Nothing, why?"

"Your smile's not the same … something happened?"

"... no … not really ..."

"What happened?" he demanded to know. She sighed.

"Nothing … it's just … he doesn't see me as a friend, that's all."

"So?! He doesn't seem to see anybody as a friend! He's like that with everyone! Look at me for instance! It's plain to see that he wants me to be his buddy …"

She laughed at the sarcasm and lay backwards against the door frame. Everything was prettty quiet, except for the sound of the wind and sand violently swirling around outside. She was glad they were comfortable and safe inside. She glanced towards the window when she heard faint stomping coming from outside. She could feel a tiny trembling from under her feet. _The night creatures,_ she thought. Chris brought her back to their conversation.

"What makes you say that anyway?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know … just a feeling. Like, he shuts me out and stuff."

"Did he kick you out?" he said laughing.

"Almost, I kicked myself out before he would!" she laughed. "I thought that we ...well, I just wanted to give him some advice and got ahead of myself. I guess ...I'm not his friend. I'm just a girl who stumbled in his world and now he's stuck with me."

"With us …" he corrected her.

"Yeah …" she looked down. He watched her with a smile.

"Ahhh I don't get that guy …"

"What?"

"You're right there, alone with him and he doesn't even try to get to know you and stuff …"

"..."

"If it was me, I would have thought of a dozen excuses to get closer!" She rolled her eyes.

"Stop it!"

"No serious! I'm so jelly! He gets to be with you all day while I'm waiting for you to come out so I can spend time with you! Meanwhile, this guy is not even trying! Seriously, I don't get him."

"He has a very important role, everything he does is for the sake of his village. He is very busy and doesn't have the time to flirt around,"

"Ouch" Chris said, holding his chest. Abigail realized what she just said. Chris was, indeed, flirting with her quite a bit.

"Oh! No … I didn't mean …"

"That's ok, I'll own it! What else could I do to get what I want?"

"What do you want?" she asked, suspicious.

"Isn't that obvious?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she looked at him, unimpressed, stepping backwards.

"What?! Oh! No! Not that way!" he laughed and got closer to her. "I want you! … that didn't sound any better; Let me gather my words here … I want you to be my … special friend …" he smiled.

She looked down, again. It was getting a habit now. Every time he would say something like that, she would look away to hide her blushing face. Something that was enticing to him. He gave her a peck on her cheek and walked away smiling.

"If the boss doesn't want you, then that means more for me!"

Aby felt warm. The redness on her face must have been strong. She went down the stairs, towards the banquet hall to meet with Sofia. Her head was lying on the table. She lifted it up when she saw Aby coming down.

"Finally! 14 hours! 14 hours you were with him up there! I know because I counted!"

"Wow … that long?"

"Yes! Why are you all red?"

Chris smiled from across the table, while eating an apple, but did not say anything.

"It's … hot …"

"Isn't it? Hey the others just came back! Man, I gotta tell ya, they're all handsome men!"

"I told you before … this is an anime world. They all look good, the girls too."

"This is a requirement when creating a manga!" Akio said while sitting down with the girls. Chris looked at his jacket, hiding the box containing the key and pen.

"You never leave it out of sight, do you."

"No"

"Mr. Daisuke?" Abigail asked, privately.

"Hm?"

"You seem to know a lot about this world and its creator. Would you know if the writer, Kishimoto, meant for Gaara to end up with someone?

"I don't think so ... the story was completed and Gaara was still single ..."

"Why not?!" Somehow it hurt Aby that Kishimoto, the writer, would leave Gaara without love.

"Because the Naruto series were not meant for romance."

"Yeah but he did mean for Naruto and Hinata to end up together! And now even Shikamaru and Temari are together, and probably other Shinobis are getting together as we speak! Why is Gaara the only one without a companion?"

"As I said before, he is the master of his own heart; and he is not the only one who is still single … why are you so suddenly invested in his life?" She was startled by the question. Why was she?

"Well … of all the characters, I think he was the one who suffered the most."

"Oh really?" he replied sarcastically, putting down the newspaper he was reading. He moved closer. "You think his story is more tragic than Uchiha's story? Who's beloved brother killed both their parents and his whole clan? Who was left alone with a dark vengeful spirit, only to discover after he finally killed his own brother that he, in fact, was protecting his little brother? Or perhaps more tragic than Naruto's story, who's greatly regarded parents died protecting him, and who was left alone and mistreated by the whole village?"

"Well …" She didn't know how to respond to that.

"Each story is as tragic as the reader feels it is. I'm not saying you are wrong … to you, Gaara has the most tragic story."

"I feel he should have at least a love in his life …"

"He does!"

Aby turned to face him, alarmed and surprised.

"He has loyal friends and shinobis under his command! The whole village respects and loves him! Naruto was the one who brought him out into the light. He has the greatest friend one could hope for. Gaara, does not need anything else. That is the character his creator gave him. But of course, that is up to him …"

"What do you mean?"

"Again, a creator gives the heart to the characters, the rest is up to them to decide how to use it! The story line has been completed, what they do with the rest of their lives is up to them!"

"Still … He teased him with Hakuto and removed her at the end … that wasn't very nice."

Akio laughed and watched her with an inquisitive look. "Would you be falling for Gaara of the Sand?" he said smiling.

"..." _I might have a thing for him but … _She sighed.

"I just wish I could see him smile."

"Miss Abigail," Akio drew even closer and whispered. "You do realize this is not your world, right?"

"Yes? Why are you saying that."

He paused for a moment, staring at her.

"You cannot stay here."

"... I know that!"

"But do you realize it?"

"..."

"Abigail-San, do not get attached too much … the outcome would be all the more painful; for both parties."

...

Aby went back up to her temporary room. She removed her temporary belt that was tied around her temporary deep purple shirt. Everything was temporary. Akio had reminded her that much. She knew it, but now, she realized it. She didn't know how long they would have here, but one day, they would find a way to go home, hopefully. Everything would be back to normal again. She would go back to her grandmother and celebrate her graduation from her Major in Management. She remembered the children. They would have to leave this beautiful world and go back to being in the street.

"No way I'm gonna let that happen," she said out loud, looking outside. The storm was still going on.

_I'll think of something; These kids will not go back on the street_.

Why was Akio telling her all this anyway? It's not like Gaara liked her to begin with … She did not like him either. OK … maybe a little … but this was definitely superficial. He was this great, handsome leader who started out as pure evil and became the most gentle, loving protector of his village. Of course she'd like him!

She laid on her bed and closed her eyes.

_He's always yelling at me anyways. It's plain to see that he finds me annoying. It's like I was in the way earlier … Chris on the other end … He's always smiling! He makes me laugh! He wants to spend time with me and he plainly said that he likes me!_

She turned the other side and hugged the pillow.

_But Gaara came to save me the other night, while Chris left me behind. He also protected me when he thought Chris was attacking me._

She laughed, remembering when Chris thought Gaara was cosplaying.  
_  
_… _and he healed my wounds … took us all in, and smiled at me … a little. _She hid her face in the pillow. _He held me in his arms when I was hurting. It felt good … it didn't feel like a fake person; a character created for a book … it was warm. He had a sweet smell._

_He was real._

_..._

Gaara had his head on the table, his eyes were half asleep, his cheek was sticking to the table and his arms were crossed under.

His sister watched him while eating some of the dates that were in the bento box. They have been talking for a while now. She came to tell him Kankuro and the others had arrived and were safe. Sasuke was still under observation by the nurse inside the residence. Sakura was sleeping, she's been out for a while; her chakra was almost completely depleted, but she was OK.

Then they talked about the work that was finally completed. When Temari mentioned that Aby had been a tremendous help, he became quiet. Now, there he was, half asleep on the table.

"Since when do you eat dates?" she said while she was eating them. "You always hated sweet stuff?"

"I still don't like it … she brought them to me …"

"For a girl who knows about us, she didn't pay attention to the food you eat!"

"I ate some …"

"And?"

"Still disgusting."

"But you feel better, right?"

"... no …"

He knew she was talking about his stomach feeling fuller. It did make him feel better. But now that his work was finished, he just stood there … thinking of her … again.

"She's driving me nuts …"

"Huh?! How so? I think she's nice! They all are! And those kids! I want to eat them! They're so freaking cute!"

"She gets herself into trouble, then ends up yelling at me for it, and crying, then she does something good, and then gets into more trouble, and the cycle continues …"

He was still in the same position, speaking to his sister, without looking at her.

"She yells at you?! Wait … Are you sure she gets into trouble, or are YOU getting HER into trouble?" she said, amused.

"Maybe a little bit of both …" he concluded after some thoughts.

She looked at him puzzled. She's never seen him like that.

"Gaara, what's wrong?"

He kept quiet for a long time, before answering.

"Hey, sis? … What's wrong with me?"

"I JUST ASKED YOU THAT!"

"She's driving me nuts…"

"You just said that too … a few seconds ago."

"Did I? I'm tired …"

"Say … do you … do you like her?"

He finally looked at her, annoyed. "Didn't I just tell you I find her troublesome?!"

"Uhm …" she said unconvinced. "Still though …"

He thought of her in his arms again, then closed his eyes. "She is charming," he admitted. "Then turns like sand in my eyes."

"That's a little harsh!"

"And yet … I can't keep her out of my head. I can't focus on anything. I want to see her, then I want to strangle her."

She grinned at his confession. "Was it like that with Hakuto?"

"Pfff … No!" He straightened up on his chair and stretched. "Hakuto was beautiful … she was elegant, delicate, noble, dignified! Abigail is … she's …"

She was also beautiful, especially under the moonlight. Her eyes were big, full of kindness and sparkled like a child's. She got excited with simple things, which made her charming. She wasn't delicate, but she was fragile … anything would make her cry. She was not of noble blood, but her heart was big and full of justice; demanding the protection of others … especially the ones who couldn't defend themselves. Those kids had no relation to her, yet she begged him to take them back to the village.

His head heavily dropped back on the table. Temari giggled, seeing that Gaara was having a hard time coming up with an excuse to convince himself he did not like her.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"I can't …"

"Why?" She laughed, "don't tell me you're too shy?"

"Because," he sighed, "every time I say something to her, the opposite meaning comes out."

"How's that even possible?"

"She's driving me nuts …"

"Well, whatever you gotta do, do it quickly, 'cause that Chris guy is about to steal her from you …"

"... I don't like that guy …"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Aby watched in the distance, amazed. She had a good view from up here. Her curiosity got her this far: the very top floor of the building.

She had awakened in the early hours and couldn't go back to sleep. The night was still dark, but she could see, through the window, the moon descending towards the horizon. Soon the sun would rise, so she thought she'd get up now.

The hallway was empty and quiet. She meant to go towards the stairs that led downstairs to the banquet hall, but changed her mind, attracted to the light of the passageway that led towards the Kazekage's office. She walked in that direction and got the urge to open the single door that was in the middle of the passage.

The door led to a very long staircase, climbing around the rounded shaped building, to the very top. She pushed the metal latch door on the ceiling and stepped outside, on a small, unfenced surface. She realized she was at the very top of the structure, and the 360o view was breathtaking. The whole village, that really looked like a small city, was surrounded by a rockwall, in the middle of a desert land. The wind was strong, so she crouched down so she wouldn't fall from the structure.

The building was right in the center. Eight main roads started from this center point and led to the outer edge of the rounded village. She could see all the other smaller rounded shape structures around; they reminded her of small termite mounds; overshadowing the smaller houses and other businesses of the same shape. It looked crowded from here. She could also see the huge cleft that was created by the earthquake.

_How long ago was it?_

She closed her eyes and felt the wind on her face.

_If I was him, I would come here every morning and watch my kingdom wake up …_

She smiled at the thought of him, standing tall and looking onward, a proud and serious look on his face … When she opened her eyes, the sun started to pierce through. She saw the horizon lit up and giving way to the sun.

"Wow!"

She saw the world below embrace the morning sunshine, darkness being swallowed by the light.

_Beautiful!_

She surprised herself, thinking she wished Gaara was with her, and shook her head. No, Maybe Chris would be better … at least there would be no risk that he would push her down out of anger! The thought made her grin, but she did feel a pinch in her heart at the thought that it'd be easy for Gaara to court a woman from up there.

She stayed there for a few more minutes and went back inside. Going down was easier than going up! She opened the door and both she and Gaara gasped in fright.

He closed his eyes and held his chest.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said shyly, as he watched her with a frown.

"You need to fix that habit of giving people heart attacks!" he said bitterly.

"You're getting better!" she joked. "You didn't throw any "stars" this time!"

"Stars? … Oh, shurikens," he corrected, softening his expression. "You … You're up early ..."

"Hm, I couldn't go back to sleep. I went to check out the top of the building...got to see the sunrise!"

"Oh, hum ... how was it?"

"It was awesome!"

There was an awkward silence between them, as they both looked for something to say.

"Are you going to work this early?" she tried.

"Yes," he simply said. Seeing that she was uncomfortable, probably remembering the last words he had for her, he tried to keep the conversation going. "I'm pretty much caught up, but the workload I had left a sour taste in my mouth, so I thought of starting the day early."

"Ok," she smiled. "You know, if you need help, I could …" She remembered the last time they parted, he told her to mind her own business. "... never mind. However, there is something that crossed my mind; if we're gonna stay here for a while, maybe we could help in some ways … like a temporary job, so we can get some money for the time being … or even if we don't get money, that's ok! At least we'd be useful to your village!"

Gaara looked at her, seemingly reflecting on what she was asking; but did not say anything.

"Anyway, just a thought! If you hear about something we can do ... and it doesn't have to be here!" she added quickly," If you hear about someone, or one of Suna's company needing help, we could ..."

"I could use the help with our citizens' inquiries," he said, which startled her. She looked back at him puzzled. "If you want," he added.

"Sure! But … I don't … last night wasn't the most …"

"I apologize for last night." he quickly said.

"..."

Gaara looked away sheepishly.

"The truth is ..." '_Tell her how you feel,' _he remembered his sister saying. He frowned, reluctant to admit his fault to her. "The truth is, you were right … for many, many things. And you have been a huge help yesterday, and … my pride … I guess … took a hit."

_Huh?!_

"I am used to being in control," he continued, "this is my domain, and although I was always humbled and grateful for others' wisdom and advice; for some reason, coming from you, I became aggravated … and that was wrong of me."

"No … I overstepped my ..."

"Maybe I was indeed tired," he cut her off. "Or stressed out, and also angry because …". He looked her straight in the eyes, a determined look on his face. "I am not 'that kind of guy ...'".

She knew he was referring to the lewd letter. She should have been happy, but she kept being nagged by the idea that she was more and more into him than he was into her. In fact, she was pretty sure that the apology was something he had to do since he was a leader. She remembered Akio's words of warning. _Do not get attached!_

"Did you … have breakfast?"

"No, I don't usually have breakfast ..."

"Would you consider breakfast today?"

She feared she was overstepping her boundaries again, but she really, for some reason, wanted to spend time with him. When he was reluctant to answer, she felt like one of the admirers that he had to tactfully reject. She smiled and waved his worries away.

"It's ok, ha ha, You did say that you wanted to start the day early. I thought I would enjoy your company …" She reddened when she realized that she basically confessed that she wanted to be with him … so did he.

She quickly turned around and wished him a nice day, as she walked away.

"I … I could make an exception today …" he said.

... 

The maids looked at him, looking at his plate with a blank expression. Aby just kept stirring the porridge with her spoon.

_Isn't he hungry? Or is he forcing himself because I asked him to have breakfast with me? But why would he?_

She was obviously uncomfortable, not knowing what he was thinking. The awkwardness was getting heavy. _Maybe I made things uncomfortable; maybe he felt forced to come_.

"You don't like to eat in the morning?" she asked.

"I don't usually eat breakfast. I know it's a bad habit, but … I never feel for it."

"Me, it's the opposite! If I don't eat first thing in the morning, I get nauseous!"

He finally took a spoonful of porridge and ate. He was also playing with the spoon in the bowl.

What was with this awkwardness!

"How do you like Sunagakure?" he asked.

"Hmm, it's beautiful!" She looked sideways while taking in another spoonful.

Gaara let a smile curve his lips

"Liar …" he said, seeing through her lie.

"What? No! … Well, ok … I didn't really have a good experience, out there, so far, but It is beautiful! Truly! The view from up there was amazing! Like, Postcard worthy! But other than that … there isn't much to do …" she said, apologetically.

Gaara did not disagree nor took offense.

"That's because the village is in bad shape. Usually, it is more lively during the day. Also, as you witnessed firsthand, bandits are on the rise these days, taking advantage of people's kindness." He looked outside through the window with a concerned look on his face. "Suna doesn't have the resources to feel safe yet; which is what I'm working on right now."

People were working even harder now. Everything had been put on hold since the earthquake. He could feel the heavy atmosphere all around. The staff in the main building were lucky, as they still had their jobs. The council was reminded often of the emergency state of the village, but Gaara had a hard time dealing with their greediness. He wished he could move things faster.

"I'm planning to go out and give a helping hand around," he said. "I also want to find out if we can use that cleft to create a few more water wells." He watched her looking back at him. "I'm sorry, I must be boring you ..."

"Oh no! Actually, if you want, maybe we can help too!"

"Of course we can!" Sakura added as she walked in the banquet room. "Jeez, this place is huge, yet so empty! You must feel lonely, Lord Kazekage!"

"Good morning," he bowed his head politely. "Not really, I'm used to it. Besides, I rarely come here. I always end up eating in my office."

Sakura stopped smiling when she saw Sasuke come and join them. He looked at her and was surprised by her reaction. She usually would be all 'happy go lucky', greeting him with an enthusiastic 'good morning!'. Now she only waved shyly and looked down, nibbling on a piece of bread.

"You should come here more often, Gaara," said Aby, without noticing the awkwardness between Sakura and Sasuke. "It's nice to unwind with people … especially the first thing in the morning! It'll most likely start a good day! If you work all day, all alone ..."

"I'm used to being alone." He turned to Sasuke. "How are you feeling?"

"Hm, I'm fine … I'm not sure what hit me, my memory is a little fuzzy. Thanks to your medical staff, I'm much better now." Sakura suddenly looked up at Sasuke, indignant and speechless.

"Actually, Sakura was the one who saved you, according to Kankuro, she spent over ten hours keeping you alive … she is quite impressive …"

Sasuke was still drowsy from his long sleep. His memory was a blur for the last few days ... except for the pain … he remembered the pain well. He turned to Sakura with an apologetic look.

"Oh, it makes sense, sorry," he said. "My memory is a little fuzzy. I put you through a lot of trouble."

Sakura could never stay angry for too long with him. He was too handsome and awesome to keep the frown. However, she couldn't bring herself to shake the disappointed look. Does that mean he couldn't remember 'anything' at all? She stood up and walked away, towards the grand balcony outside of the banquet hall.

"No problem," she said.

Sasuke watched her, perplexed … he was used to her cheerful 'aww just doing my job! Don't worry about it!' kind of response. This time was different. His eyes followed her outside.

"Did something happen between you two?" teased Sofia when she came in. "Or maybe 'didn't' happen?" She whispered to his ear while passing by to go sit beside her friend. Toshiko and Tori followed her, while he followed after Sakura.

Tori went straight to Aby when she saw her and gave her a big hug.

"Aww, hey Tori baby! Long time no see!"

Sofia smiled at the scene.

"Boy, these kids are very attached to you!"

"That's because she gives them gifts AND protects them against villains!" Smiled Chris, who was eating a piece of dried meat while standing up against the doorway of the banquet hall.

Gaara looked at him with a frown. Somehow the room was never too crowded until 'he' showed up. He was startled by Tori who sat right on his lap! Aby snorted at the cute scene.

"Look! Onee-Chan's present to me!" She put her hand right in Gaara's face so he could see the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist.

"Why does she keep calling you Onee Chan or Onee San?" asked Sofia.

"It means 'sister', or 'big sister' in this case," Aby said while looking at Gaara. She felt butterflies in her stomach. He didn't know how to react to Tori sitting on his lap.

...

"Sakura, is something wrong?" Sasuke asked when he came out. She had her hands stretched out on the metal fence, her back turned to him. Her shoulder length pink hair blowing in the wind. She looked like a different person from that angle. Her silhouette was delicate and curvy. Her clothes were different today. She was wearing her usual trousers, but a black tight fit shirt, revealing a slight line of skin. Her usual jonin deep green jacket was opened and loose. She looked ready for a fight, except that she seems as relaxed as ever, just looking out at the village surrounding the central building.

"Not really," she answered. "Do you still have a headache?" she asked, still facing away.

"No. But I'm still very sleepy, and a bit dizzy …"

He was startled by her sudden turn around. She walked straight up to him and held his face between her small hands. For a second, he thought she was going to kiss him in a moment of madness; instead, she examined both eyes, one after the other. His eyes were not the average shinobi eyes … one possessed the rinnegan; a permanent purple cyclone type of eye, and the other, the mangekyou sharingan; which was not activated at the moment, but would turn red and black in a hypnotic pattern. She was not deterred by them one bit, compared to most people. She kept one hand on the side of his face, the other one touched the forehead.

She finally backed up from a flustered Sasuke.

"You seem fine. That poison almost took your life; it took a toll on your body. It will take some time to recover."

Their eyes met and she felt a needle pierce her heart. She tilted her head and studied him.

"You really don't remember anything from last night?"

_What the hell happened last night?!_

"Well, it's blurry … I got wounded, it looked infected but I thought I could make it to Suna before it became serious … then I got dizzy and felt sick …"

"Why didn't you tell me!"

_déjà vu …_

"Because I didn't want to worry you," he lied. That excuse, of course, made no sense. The real reason was that since these dreams started, he had a hard time facing her. A simple touch made him heat up and her eyes, her big green emerald eyes … he suddenly became weary of his lack of memory; what exactly did he do?

"Yeah well that went well!" she said sarcastically. "You almost died on me! Three times! I was all out of chakra! I was exhausted, and WORRIED!"

Sasuke looked at her … she said that before … he was sure …'almost died three times'.

"Huhhhh," she sighed. "Can you just promise me next time, to tell me if there is anything? And I mean ANYTHING!"

"... I will …"

Sakura watched him, unconvinced, and ended up quickly hugging him, on her tippy toes, before going back inside, her hand gave him a quick pat on the back of his head … her hand, on the back of his head … her fingers … her breath …

He felt an electric wave running through his entire body. Goosebumps rose on his arm. He watched her walk away, stunned.

He remembered …

... 

Chris was looking at the box near Akio. When he looked up, he was startled.

"You like that box?" said Akio, suspicious. He was holding a steaming cup of tea. Aby stopped playing with Toshiko and Tori to watch the scene, curious.

"Well yeah!" answered Chris, ignoring the suspicion in Akio's question. "Everybody does! What exactly does the key do?"

"I said it before … it opens a gate, and can only be opened by the gatekeeper." He emphasized that last bit of information, disliking Chris' snooping.

"Well, I must not have been there when you said that!"

Aby felt sorry for Chris. She knew he wasn't particularly liked or trusted. She believed he was only being himself and without boundaries. She knew how it felt to be misunderstood. She glanced at Gaara. He was staring right at him; ready to bounce like a tiger if anything was out of the ordinary.

"I meant to ask you," she said to Akio. "Why do you think I'm a gatekeeper?"

"Like I said, just a hunch … as a gatekeeper myself, I can almost always recognize other gatekeepers! So do you! It's like a sixth sense. Plus it would make sense … something called you here … it was your fate that you would discover your purpose …"

"She was not called here," corrected Gaara, taking Aby's words out of her mouth. "She and her friends were on a trip and they happened to be there when the earthquake fusioned our worlds together."

"Yes! She was 'called' through a divine power! It was her destiny, predestined by God, that she would come here and take over the task of the late gatekeeper! It was also my destiny to be here in order to assist her in the discovery of this task! That is why I have been researching day and night where I could find the gates!"

"Don't you know where the gates are? Aren't you the gatekeeper of this world?"

"OH! No! The gate I guard is not of this world! I thought you figured it out already! YOU are the gatekeeper of THIS world!" Abigail gasped.

"What? But, you have the key and the pen!"

"It is not my key! It's yours! Gatekeepers do not travel with their key. The pen is mine though...as I said, I'm in training!"

"How can you find the gates?" asked Aby, looking at the key. _That's MY key?!  
_  
"I'm using my pen! I'm creating places where I can find maps and information as long as they are available!"

"If that is her key, why didn't you give it to her, and why are you in its possession?"

"I was walking in a park one day and a man I didn't know ran towards me. I didn't see where he came from, but he was running very fast. When our eyes met, we both felt the connection instantly; he was a gatekeeper and he knew I was one too. I couldn't speak to him as he kept running; but as he passed me, he threw something small at me. I only had time to catch it, that I saw three man turning the same corner he came from and pursued him. I don't know what happened to him; but when I opened my hand. There was the key." He eyed Abigail with a serious face. "Here the thing Abigail, a gatekeeper NEVER give away his or her key. It's value is too great. If he gave me the key, he must have been in deep trouble, or the world he was guarding must have been in danger." He paused to take breath. "This world. Aby, there is only one reason why a gatekeeper would replace another one; death."

Aby felt her hair at the back of her neck rise. What the heck did she get herself into? Akio looked back at Gaara.

"To answer the other question, I can't give it to her yet … not until she understands what's at stake here. Also, I need to teach her how to use it."

Gaara looked at Abigail and their eyes met. It looked like it would not be as easy as putting it in a lock and turning it.

Sofia was half listening while playing with Tori and Toshiko. Tori was looking at a little tattoo Sofia had on her shoulder; a little white bunny. Kankuro came closer and touched it, which startled her.

"What is the meaning of a little bunny?" he whispered while Akio explained the deal of gatekeepers.

"What?"

"The bunny on your shoulder, is there a significance? A family emblem for instance?"

"Oh no" she giggled. "I just liked it, it's just for cuteness."

"You mean, there is no purpose?"

"Well, most people get those for meaningful purposes, some other, just for the art. I just liked it!"

Kankuro was shocked that someone, a girl especially, would go through the trouble of purposely altering their skin for no other reasons than decorative purposes. He found the worry-free girl quite interesting.

"It made me happy looking at it, so I went ahead and got it tattooed!"

"But … you can't really see it from that angle …" he blurted out.

"I guess that's true, but I know it's there, and other people can see it depending on the shirt I wear," she winked. "So I guess, it can make them smile too!"

Kankuro smiled at the silly idea.

"Do you want one Tori? I can draw a pretty flower or butterfly on your arm if you want?"

"Butterfly!"

She looked around for something to draw with. She noticed the box that Akio slid towards her earlier while talking to Chris. She quickly opened it and took the plain looking pen out.

She opened the cap, set it on the table and grabbed the little hand. Toshiko and Kankuro observed closely.

"What are you doing there? asked Sakura to Sofia, while joining the group. Akio glanced away from Aby and Chris, curious to see what attracted Sakura's attention.

"I'm making a tattoo for Tori!" She smiled.

"A tattoo?" Inquired Gaara, suddenly curious. "Isn't that done with a needle and ink?"

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"I'm not gonna put needles in a four years old little girl! Darn, Akio, you need a new pen, this one has no ink in it!" she said while shaking the pen violently.

Akio's face changed to a panic expression as he slowly realised that she was holding his pen.

"HEY!"

"Okay, here it goes …"

Everyone jumped in fright when Akio climbed on the varnished wooden table to reach Sofia. He took the pen before she could do anything.

"Hey! "

She stopped talking when she saw his face. He looked angry … very angry.

"Do. Not. Use. This. Pen … EVER!" he told her, furious. He took Tori's hand and turned it on every side to see if ink leaked through. He sighed when he saw there was none. He climbed down the table while mumbling to himself. "What is wrong with this lady, taking without asking …"

Aby was completely taken aback. They never saw Akio without a smiling face before. This pen must have been very important …

"What! It's just a pen! What's the big deal?" retorted Sofia.

He stared back at her, shocked.

"What is the big deal? What is the … HAVE YOU EVEN LISTENED TO WHAT I SAID?"

"Well …"

"This pen is not ordinary! Why would I put an ordinary pen in here with the key?!"

"I don't know? 'Coz you're a writer too? You keep your pen with you at all times in case of inspiration striking you? Look, your pen doesn't even work so chill, all right?"

Akio gasped, insulted at the lack of respect. He walked closer in what Kankuro saw as a threatening way.

"Wo man, calm down … I'm sure she didn't mean to be malicious here …"

He ignored him.

"This is no mere pen! This pen is of divine essence. This pen is the potential source of a world's creation! Whatever this pen writes, it comes to be!"

"But it's not working …" she pouted.

"Idiot! It is working! There is plenty of ink in the pen! A cosmic amount in fact! Be glad it didn't transfer onto her skin! The result could have been catastrophic!"

"How so?" asked Aby, "she was just going to draw a butterfly!"

"This butterfly would have been encrypted into this world! Innocent at first, and devoid of substance ... empty, a mere butterfly, but in the wrong hands in this world, could have been filled with evil!"

They looked at him as if he was a madman. He growled in frustration and looked for better words to understand.

"The drawing of a butterfly, without substance, or data, or meaning, would have been but a pretty blank canvas, waiting to be filled with meaning … like an empty bag in the shape of a butterfly! The bag, if taken by someone, can be filled with candies, colorful rocks, or treasures, but it can also be filled with knives, poison, darkness, fire … the list goes on. The point is, do not use the pen without knowing the substance you will put down. That is why only us writers can use those pens, and that is why we need training!"

He sat down, tired and stressed out. He put the pen back in the box.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was so dangerous …"

Aby broke the following silence.

"Are all writers like you? I mean … divinely gifted of creating those ... parallel worlds?"

"No … only a few of us, and it's even more rare to be a writer AND a gatekeeper."

"So … have you found out where the gates are?" asked Sasuke, lying against the doorway of the grand balcony."

"Yes, that is what I wanted to talk about in the first place … there is a gate close to Konohagakure, well … not that close. To the far north of the Land of Iron … it is a desolate area. But there is more …"

"What?" asked Gaara.

"Gates tend to be easier to open every new moon; something that has to do with moon rays … something magic I guess … I'm not sure, but the point is, it will be in Abigail's favor,"

"So, how long do I have?" asked Abigail.

"It takes about 30 days for our moon to complete a full cycle...more or less. The last new moon was last week, give or take … it means we have to wait for another three weeks, approximately," said Akio, "otherwise we'll have to wait another month, unless Abigail is a natural at it," he laughed.

"That specific!" laughed Chris.

Aby and Sofia looked at each other.

"How long have we been here?" asked Aby.

"A little over a week," said Sofia. "I think…"

Aby thought it would make sense since the gate was open when they landed into this world. Then, the gate was opened without the gatekeeper, because it was a new moon.

"Now, now," cheered Chris. "What's the big rush anyway? This place is much better than our home!"

He had a point. Aby was happy here and it meant she'd have the opportunity to go see Konoha, but it also meant that her grandmother would wonder what had happened to her. She already lost her daughter in a car accident. Now she would not even know what happened to her granddaughter.

She looked around, especially at the shinobis. She could see on their face as they were processing the information just given. Gaara's eyes were closed and she couldn't read him. Was he annoyed? Was this complicating things even more?

"Well," Sasuke cut through the silence, "Lord Kakashi wouldn't mind keeping you for a while … there are after all, two more of your friends who are eager to see you."

Sofia beamed and Aby smiled faintly. She did want to see Konona, but that meant …

She looked at Gaara once more. This time he was looking at her.

"The Land of fire has plenty of water for you to train your ability," he said. "This will be a good opportunity.''

Akio looked at Gaara, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

Aby realized Akio was never around when she manipulated the water, so he was probably in the dark on that matter. However, the pinch in her stomach distracted her from Akio's inquiry; She read Gaara's words between the lines. _He doesn't want me here_.

Well, 'us' was more of a reality, but she couldn't help but take it personally. She swallowed the clump in her throat.

"I don't have that ability where I'm from … I don't see why I should train for it …"

Gaara was going to reply, but was cut short by Chris who put his arm around Abigail.

"You might need it! Remember last time? When you got attacked?"

"What ability?!" repeated Akio, annoyed not to get an answer.

"There's not much water around here," said Sakura. "She would not be able to defend herself in a place without water, the land of Wind is too dangerous after all! Better come with us!" she added enthusiastically.

"She can control water?!" said Temari and Shikamaru at the same time, when they came around for breakfast.

"What do you mean by controlling the water?!" Repeated Akio with more power in his voice.

"Oh … I should have said something earlier." Gaara said to Shikamaru. "Yes, though she doesn't have much control over it."

"Hey!" shouted Akio.

"She's like a water style user, but without the need of chakra, according to Sakura" added Kankuro.

"That's how I was able to find her, when she was attacked ...water was shot up high in between buildings … I knew she was trying to get attention."

"HEY!"

They all finally turned to Akio who was looking straight at Aby.

"You can control water?!"

They fell silent realizing the dreaded concern in Akio's face.

"Well, kinda … as long as there is some water around …"

"Since when?"

"Since we got here; I was at the river and when I waved my hand, the water literally followed it … it was weird!"

Akio looked at Sofia and the kids, then back at Abigail.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"... Should've I? I thought it was some kind of thing from this world, you know … people here have those kinds of abilities, so I thought ..."

"You are not of this world! You are not supposed to share its properties!"

"..."

"Well," said Sakura. "In our world, you need chakra to use a water style jutsu, or any jutsu for that matter! You and your friends do not have any! Technically speaking, you shouldn't even be alive!"

"Come to think of it, I don't have any ability either, said Sofia. "The kids?"

"No," said Aby. "Not that I know of; maybe you just didn't discover it yet!"

"No, that's ..." started Akio, before being cut off again.

"Do their friends back in Konoha have abilities?" asked Sasuke to Shikamaru. "Kakashi didn't mention it in his last letter …"

"Not that I know of …"

"I don't think they did, we would have heard about it, no?"

"WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD!" shouted Akio, hitting the table with his fists, even more agitated than before. "We are not supposed to have these abilities or any power whatsoever! Neither does the gatekeeper, other than opening the gate!"

Aby started to feel uncomfortable. The confident man who seemed to know everything about the world they were in was starting to show insecurity and concerns.

"What is going on!" he thought out loud, his palm on his sweaty forehead.

He looked at the box on the table and grabbed it before taking the pen out. From his right inside pocket, he took a notepad and held the pen above it for a few seconds. Everybody was watching closely as Akio was about to write something. The seconds seemed long; but he finally opened his eyes and scribbled something on the notepad. It was quick, but the pen seemed to slightly glow, revealing a mesmerizing streak of fluorescent greenish light, following the steady smooth gliding of the pen on the pad. As soon as he finished, he put the cap back on and went running frantically to the Kazekage's office. Aby felt compelled to run after him. Gaara, of course followed as well. The rest of the group stayed behind, still shocked.

Temari leaned in towards her brother, Kankuro.

"He likes her," she said.

"What? Pfff … don't be stupid …"

"I'm telling you! I talked with him! It's plain to see, he likes her! A lot!" she whispered.

"Temari, you see love every time there is a girl around Gaara. If you recall last time, it didn't work out too well. Plus, I've seen them fight together … trust me, they are not a good match. Stop pushing things on him!" He said these words with some disappointment … he kinda liked that girl for Gaara.

"This time is different! She brought him a snack and he ate some of it"

"Awwww cute … that must be love!" he rolled his eyes.

"They were sweet roasted chestnuts ..."

"..."

"And he was here this morning … MMM I wonder what was that on his plate? BREAKFAST!"

"..."

... 

"Mr. Daisuke! What are you looking for?" said Aby, out of breath.

"... In my office …" added Gaara, nonchalantly.

Aby was panting from the run, unlike Gaara who was breathing normally, his arms crossed, his back leaning on the doorway.

Akio was looking through all the books around the office. Looked under the desk, in the drawers, in the study; he was searching everywhere.

"I wrote something in the notepad. I asked for information about gatekeepers in general. I wrote it so the information would be found here. The issue is, I can never pinpoint the specific location."

"What is the big deal if I have abilities here, in this world?"

"It is! You are not supposed to have them! That makes you different! That makes you stand apart and I need to know why. Ah!"

He opened a hatch, unknown to even the Kazekage. Gaara looked at the scene flabbergasted.

"That's … When did this ...?!"

The book Akio retrieved from it looked very old and run-down. Abigail immediately thought of a sorcerer opening an old spell book. Sand was all over and within the stiff pages. He blew it off and started to run through the old yellowed sheets.

Aby could see strange sketches of grossly drawn people and doors. Some kind of different weapons and inscriptions that Akio seemed to ignore. He flipped through the pages and became consumed with a few of them. He let himself fall on the Kazekage's chair and kept on reading, oblivious of his surroundings.

Aby glanced toward Gaara, his arms were crossed, as usual, and she wondered what he was making of all of that.

"Does it bother you?" she asked.

"What?"

"Well, he went through your stuff … he's sitting in your chair … looking at him I wouldn't even be surprised if he would casually throw your hat on his head," she laughed.

"According to him, he is in training to become some kind of 'GOD writer' who will eventually create his own world," he laughed, "the least I can do is to let him sit in my chair!"

She watched him and to her surprise, saw that he was softly smiling, seemingly amused by the sight of this "God" man sitting in his chair, consumed by the words of the book he was reading, as if his life depended on it.

"This story is getting crazier each day," he mumbled.

She smiled too. She loved when he smiled; his eyes were always soft then. For once, he was not frowning. His guards were down and he seemed relaxed. She must have been staring too long again, because he glanced back at her, still smiling. She looked away embarrassed. She hugged herself tight to choke the desire to embrace him.

_Stupid girly feeling … _she thought.

"Are you cold?"

"A little …" she lied.

Gaara thought it was odd that she was cold when the desert sun was rising high above Suna. He looked at her arms and saw goosebumps on them. Maybe she was getting sick? He reached out and touched her forehead.

"You're pretty hot …" he frowned.

_So are you,_ she thought to herself.

"It'll pass … I just need some fresh air!" she said.

Gaara watched her heading toward the staircase. For a second he felt the urge to follow her.

"Lovely, isn't she?" said Akio while reading.

"Have you found what you were looking for?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting there …" he replied with sparkly eyes, as if he was a child facing a whole bunch of new candies.

Gaara looked passed Akio, out through the window, at Suna's maze of houses and buildings … and the cleft.

"Then I will leave you to it. I have something to take care of."

"There will be a sand storm tonight," Akio lifted his eyes to him and smiled, "I thought you'd appreciate the warning!"

"Well, yes I suppose. Thank you." Gaara walked out perplexed.

_What a strange guy this Akio is ..._

Sakura greeted him in the staircase, followed by Sasuke who had seen better days. Gaara thought nothing of it, attributing Sasuke's demeanor to the fight his body put up with the poison. Sakura, on the other hand, was as bubbly as usual.

"Lord Kazekage! We were going to meet you! Well, more specifically, we had some questions for Akio-San."

"He is in my office. Is this about what you found at the cave? Kankuro told me about it."

"Yes," confirmed Sasuke. "We think they were hiding something, or someone."

"Or both," suggested Gaara.

"Who knows?"

"Maybe Akio will know something."

Gaara left them and descended the staircase. He found his siblings talking to Abigail's friend. When Sofia saw him she forced a smile.

"If you are looking for Aby, she is outside with Chris." Gaara knew she didn't like him. He meant to clear the misunderstanding for some time, but the sudden piece of news left him with a nasty taste in his mouth. Why was she _always_ with this guy! He smothered the anger before the heat rose to his cheeks, as Kankuro and Temari, for some reason, were studying his reaction. He kept a straight face and slowly walked away toward the door.

"I was not looking for her; I have business in Suna."

"You're her favorite, you know?" she announced. Gaara stopped walking and turned to face her. "Her heart gets crushed very easily."

Gaara felt that her words were not only meant as a fact, but also as a warning. He stared for a few seconds and left.

...

"That's a pretty place" said Chris with a big enchanting smile. He was facing the village. Aby was looking down, facing the building, arms crossed. Chris drew closer and gently ran his finger across her arm.

"What is it?" he asked, quietly.

"It's nothing," she said. She was surprised to feel the goosebumps on her arms as a reaction to Chris' gentle touch. She let him get even closer.

"What did he do this time?" he almost whispered, his face close to hers.

"He didn't do anything wrong. He's being himself and fulfilling his purpose. It's just that he doesn't want me around."

"Those words you put in his mouth are pretty harsh!"

"He said I'd be better in Konoha."

"Hm, a nice way to tell you to bug off with a convenient truth …"

"Aren't you supposed to make me feel better?" she said while forcing a smile. Chris didn't answer, but he watched her admiringly. She became self conscious again.

"I really, really like you," he said. She smiled. There they were again; those tiny butterflies tickling inside her belly. She wondered why she was hesitating in returning the feelings. She dared a glance. He was handsome, funny, seemingly caring, and more importantly, they shared the same world! Wasn't he the rational choice? Was there even a choice? Her thoughts instantly went to Gaara. Why was she always going back to a freaking ninja ruler who was trying to get rid of her?

"Do you like me?" he added. She dropped the smile, uncomfortable with the sudden question; Why would he ask that? Five points loss for romance, she thought.

"I don't know, maybe" she said looking embarrassed.

"Can I kiss you?" Seeing that she didn't answer, he leaned in and lifted her chin up.

"Don't you think this is … rushing a little?" she said in a hurry. He scoffed; which was not the answer she expected.

"It's only a kiss Aby …" he answered, playfully.

And there it was; her first kiss.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she was making too much of a big deal of it. Maybe she needed to grow up? She kissed him back, as she thought she was supposed to, but ...

Something was off.

He watched her with a puzzled look when she backed away.

"I'm sorry," she said

"What?"

"It's just … I don't know … it doesn't feel right," She barely spoke the words out. She couldn't tell what the matter was and she felt like an idiot. Chris sighed heavily and stared at her with a hint of annoyance.

"Are you kidding me?" he said. She looked up in surprise. "You know something, your friend is right, you need to loosen up a bit!"

"What?!"

That sudden change of attitude startled her.

"Are you so stuck up that you won't even enjoy a kiss?"

She didn't like that sudden change one bit. His tone reminded her of high school bullies, rising mixed feelings of annoyance and anxiety.

"I'm … I didn't …"

"You didn't what?"

"Why are you getting so angry?"

"Are you for real?! Who wouldn't be?"

"..."

"You know, I've been pretty patient! There I was, all this time, giving you obvious hints that I liked you; I even went as far as to ask you if I could kiss you! You even kissed me back! When I finally think I finally got the girl I like, now you decide you're not that into me?"

"I didn't say that! I didn't mean that …"

"So what did you mean?"

"I don't know! I guess, it wasn't …" _What I expected_ was what she wanted to say, but was afraid she'd make matters worse. His frown turned into a mocking smirk.

"Awwwww; I get it!" he whispered in her face. "You are a tease …"

"What?! No!"

"Yeah you are!" he smiled. "You're one of those bitches who like it when guys chase you around like puppies and give you attention! Then you play hard to get! 'Poor me, poor me, the other guy doesn't want me!' Well, now it all makes sense! Eyeliner guy must have a lot of experience with your type … he must have seen right through you! No wonder he doesn't want you around!"

She stared at him, her mouth wide open with shock. Tears welled up. Those accusations were cruel and raw. But, maybe he was right? She did like the attention … but … No! She wouldn't be like that … not on purpose! That was the first time someone liked her! She was getting confused.

She couldn't say a word … they wouldn't come out. She just watched him walk back into the building, seemingly upset. She touched the area on her arm that he gently stroked a few minutes ago. Did she really do something that wrong?

Her head started to fill with doubts; was that really what she was? A tease? She did like it when he would be all over her. It made her feel good. Same with Gaara! Did she unconsciously ...

She looked up and saw him watching her from the double doorway.

Shit! How long was he there? What did he see? What did he hear? Wait … WHAT DID HE SEE?! She turned around quickly and discreetly wiped the light tears. She heard him approach her. Then there was an awkward silence.

"Are you ok?"

"Uhm, yes." she lied.

"... Are you still cold?"

"What? Oh! No … I'm ok now. Thanks."

Gaara looked behind him, where he saw Chris disappear, and glanced back towards her, unconvinced. He decided not to push his curiosity. She obviously looked disturbed by something.

"Can you help me with something?" he asked after a few seconds.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"How would you know if there is water down below?"

"I don't know, but I was hoping that your 'ability' would enable you to tell?"

Abigail and Gaara gazed towards the bottom of the cleft.

"I'm not sure … I never … well, I guess it doesn't hurt to try, but maybe it'd be easier if we were down there?"

The pit seemed bottomless. The cleft was very wide and long, but darkness was filling the deep pit.

"Hm … alright," Gaara grabbed a tiny flashlight from his waist bag and startled Aby by putting his arm tightly around her waist. She felt the heat rushing to her head at the contact of her body against his. This time, he had his gourd on, his green Kazekage hat dangling from it. His free hand made a quick gesture while he held the flashlight between his teeth; Sand poured out of the gourd and scooped them up below their feet. He turned to a few shinobis who were shielding themselves against the wind that was picking up. One of them looked up at the empty blue sky, a concerned look on his face.

"Don't worry, the storm will not be coming until tonight. We still have a few hours."

"How do you know, Lord Kazekage?"

"That's a long story. Be ready … if we find something, I'll need you guys."

"Yes sir!" the five of them answered.

Aby felt dizzy as the sand lifted them up and lowered them into the pit. It was like a thrill ride at a theme park. She tightened her grip as they quickly dropped deeper into it. When they did, the daylight rapidly faded around them. The flashlight, eventually, revealed an end to the bottomless pit. Once they touched down, the sand quickly rushed back into the gourd. Gaara let go of her and walked ahead, pointing the flashlight to the ground. Aby, behind him, could barely see where she was stepping. She tripped on something hard; hopefully a rock …

"Are you alright? Mind your step …"

"Yes …" she said while trying to blindly reach for his coat for guidance. "Uhm … there are no … creatures down here, right?"

"Probably …" He discreetly stomped on something and kept walking. She sighed at the vague answer; probably yes? Or probably no?

This time she slipped on something gooey and bumped hard into Gaara's back; he spun around to catch her.

"Sorry, I can barely see anything back here … What the heck was that slippery thing?"

"Probably nothing," he lied. That hairy sand spider he stepped on was the biggest one he'd ever seen … almost as big as his foot. He helped her steadied herself and grabbed her hand. She was glad he couldn't see her crimson face.

"So, what am I supposed to feel for?" _Beside the butterflies in my stomach_, she thought.

"I'm not sure. A pull, maybe? If it was me, in a battle, I would focus my chakra on the land around me and feel the pull of the sand … it's difficult to explain …"

"But I don't have chakra. It's hard to look for a "feeling" without knowing if it's there in the first place."

"Hm … you said that water instantly reacts to your command?"

"Well … kinda … it's not really a command."

"Maybe you are commanding it without realizing it. Try to imagine that we are surrounded by water, then try to use those hand gestures you did before."

She didn't need to close her eyes to focus, her surroundings were already pitch black, except for the faint light coming from Gaara's flashlight ahead.

"Well?"

"Nothing … let's keep walking."

They kept walking for a few minutes, without talking. His warm hand was still holding hers and she found great comfort in it. She couldn't deny that his presence was distracting her, but she kept moving her free hand around, feeling rather silly. Chris's words came back to memory and she felt a pinch in her heart; was she doing it again? Looking for attention?

"Your gourd," she said to break the silence, "it looks heavy."

"I'm used to carrying it. I practically grew up with it."

"Why can't you use the sand all around?"

He sneaked a smile without looking at her.

"I thought you knew everything?"

"Well … a few things still get passed me," she said with a smirk.

"The sand in my gourd is infused with chakra; it is easier to manipulate than the sand of Suna, which requires more of my chakra. Also, it is mixed with gold dust, which enables me to use magnet release."

_Whatever that means_, she thought, looking at her feet. Her eyes started to get used to the dark.

"It means I can shape it to pretty much anything and create heavy weapons with it." he added, as if he could read her mind. To add shape to his explanation, he fashioned a small sand butterfly by moving his fingers. Aby watched the wings of the butterfly flutter away; Its wings shimmered here and there filtered by the ray of light that the flashlight was providing.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do that!" she said excitedly. He smiled at her reaction, his head turned back in her direction.

"I mean, I knew you could shape things, but the butterfly … it's freaking moving!"

Gaara grinned in answer, as the butterfly disintegrated back to dust.

"... For dust you are, and dust you shall return …" said Aby.

"What?"

"Nothing … something I remembered. In my world, God created man from the dirt, and breathed life into him. So there is a famous passage that basically says that we were made of dust, more like soil or clay, and when we die, we'll go back to dust."

"Maybe you are made of gold too," he retorted without thinking. He looked away, embarrassed. He was referring to the shape of the butterfly made because of the gold dust, but now he realized that it sounded very much like a courting strategy.

"How did you make it move?" she asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"It's simple but takes quite a good amount of practice. I just keep changing the shape of the wings, like a frame by frame movie, until it looks like it's moving. It took me some time to perfect it."

"That's clever! You should do that trick for Tori!"

"Those kids are very attached to you," he said after a pause.

"They didn't have anybody for a long time. It must be such a relief to be cared for at that age. I think it must have been a normal reaction that they cling to me."

"No," he stopped and turned to face her. "Children who have to fend for themselves would rather be alone then follow someone who is untrustworthy. It actually gets harder to trust as they grow up." As he said these words, he was reminded of his own childhood. "I came to understand that the way a child grows up is crucial to what that child will become. These two were lucky to find you. That makes you … well … special," he said, reticent.

"Thanks," she said, looking down at his hand, still holding hers. She could feel his gaze on her, but didn't dare looking up.

"She always carries that bracelet around … oh! That reminds me …"

He let go of her hand and found the charm in his pocket. She gasped when he handed it to her.

"How?!"

"I saw you that time when you did the exchange. Well, I didn't see the exchange, but I realized it when I went to see the lady at the booth. She really liked it and was planning on making some more," he said rolling his eyes.

"What? You don't like it?"

"Why is it fat?"

"It's not fat!" she laughed. "It's a chibi Gaara!"

"What's a chibi?"

"It's a cute, smaller, rounder version of … people"

"Why am I … why is it hugging the gourd?"

"Because it's cute!" she answered between two laughs.

"That thing looks nothing like me."

She looked at him, teasingly, her eyes sparkling. "Do me a favor?"

"No."

"Awwww, come on!"

"I'm not hugging my gourd."

"I won't tell anyone!" she giggled.

"No chance." he smiled and shook his head disapprovingly. "Come on, back to work …"

She snorted some more before looking up at him again.

"Thank you," she said, lifting up the little charm.

"It's coming out of your paycheck," he said with a grin.

"Oh my! You just made a joke!"

"Who said it was a joke?"

She followed after him and took his hand again, by pure impulse, but let it go when he looked at her puzzled.

_Shit! I wasn't even thinking!_ They both got accustomed to the darkness now, so there was no use in holding onto each other's hand.

"I'm sorry … it was, like, a habit I guess. I mean, it's not a habit … I don't do that with everyone …" _stop talking, just stop talking_. "I mean … sorry." She backed up one step further and looked away. He said nothing and eventually kept on walking, his head facing forward.

"What happens if we don't find water?" she quickly said to change the subject, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I'll think of some other use … like a septic system or something." he answered after a pause.

"It's a good idea, " she said, forcing a smile.

Why did she have to do that? Why did she have to make it so awkward? More importantly, she felt naked. There was no way he would believe that this was a habit. He must have realized that she was into him now. She couldn't tell what was worse, the awkwardness or the fact that he knew, because she was sure that he did, and there would be some rejection, eventually.

She remembered a lot of anime where there would be a confession, followed by a rejection. They always said, regardless of the answer, that they always felt better after. _What a load of bullcrap_, she thought. She felt so stupid. What was she doing? How could she let herself fall for a fictional character?!

_They are as real as we are_, she remembered Akio say. She found herself very confused. Then, her heart stopped and got light headed. Her hand trembled for a second. Her hand … he was holding it … he was holding her hand!

... 

Akio had the book open on the desk; oblivious to the fact that Sasuke and Sakura could see what was inside. It wasn't a secret anyway, not anymore, not to them. They had come to meet him and were startled to see the state of the messy room. They were joined a few minutes later by Shikamaru. Who also wanted to ask Akio a few questions.

"Uhm, I'm not sure …" Akio said, his back resting against the swiveling chair. He was brushing the hair upon his chin. "I can't think of anything big that would have anything to do with the gate; I mean, a gate can be very big, but once it is closed, it's gone!"

"They were definitely hiding something," said Shikamaru. "You don't engage in combat and risk injury and then vanish like that."

"Our thoughts exactly," said Sasuke. Sakura was deep in thought, staring at Akio. He shook his head.

"Akio-San, do you have any idea where you were when they opened the gate?" asked Sakura.

"No … I was blindfolded. The first place I recognized was Amegakure when the shinobis found me."

"You said there were three guys?" asked Sasuke.

"At least. There might have been more."

"The guys we fought … there were three of them," said Sakura. "The whole place was a mess, not just the cave, but the area in general, covering a few miles. Everything was destroyed. Even fish seemed to have flown all the way from the lake, a few miles away."

"Which was not too far from Ame," added Sasuke, seeing where Sakura was going with it.

"That place must be the location for the gate then?" said Shikamaru.

"It could be!" said Akio. "Wait … no … as I said, I only found a gate near Konoha."

"Well, maybe because the gate was destroyed since … oh!" Sakura hit her head with her hand and gasped. "It was the gate!" She turned to Sasuke. "The big thing that got destroyed was the gate!"

"Why would they destroy the gate?" He asked her.

"Not the gate …" commented Akio. "You cannot destroy a gate, but you can destroy its location. I wonder …" He closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Perhaps you are looking at it the wrong way! Perhaps they didn't mean to destroy the location, maybe it was destroyed while trying to force the gate open?"

"Then they just happened to be there when you guys got there," Shikamaru added. "The diversion was probably for someone to escape, someone who wasn't supposed to be with those guys … someone who would blend with us …" He looked at the gatekeeper.

"Mr. Daisuke, about that guy, Chris, would you recognize him as being part of us? From our world I mean ..." Sakura shot him an inquisitive look.

"What? No … not particular, I wasn't the creator of this world, so I'm not an expert," he answered, laughing.

"Gaara and I, we have a strong sense of 'déjà vu' with this guy. We can't say for sure, but there's something about him that's off."

"I'm positive that this young man is from my world."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Shikamaru. Akio stared at him for a few seconds.

"There would be no way! I can't be 100% sure, but the worlds created by writers are in the dark when it comes to gates and gatekeepers! You didn't know anything about it until this happened." He stopped to think. "Perhaps … a writer!"

Akio slapped his hand on the desk.

"It has to be a writer! A newby, maybe! A rule breaker, no doubt, but I can only think of this, a writer who wanted to travel through our different worlds, without a gatekeeper… but for what purpose?"

"Why are you guys suspecting Chris?" asked Sakura as they were walking back towards the main hall.

"I didn't say anything about suspecting him," Shikamaru said.

"He might be a goof, I don't think that makes him a bad guy?" she said, not buying Shikamaru's statement. They were definitely suspecting him.

Shikamaru was deep in thought, frowning, as usual. He knew it was impossible, but he kept thinking that he knew him. At least, he saw him somewhere. He was thinking hard, trying to recall who he reminded him of. As if reading his mind, Sakura broke his thoughts.

"Akio said he couldn't be from our world … that it was most likely someone from his, another 'newbie', he said,"

"Yes, but he also mentioned before that there could have been a loophole and someone from our world could have found out …"

He passed the different rooms and caught a glimpse of a floating dress through one of the doors; that and a sweet humming that made him smile. He changed his course after excusing himself to Sakura and Sasuke and pushed his way through the slightly opened door. He leaned against the wall after closing the door behind him.

"_That thing_ makes you sing now?" he said smiling.

Temari turned to him and smiled back, twirling around, holding an old dress against her chest.

"This used to be my mother's!"

"You remember her wearing it?!" he asked.

"No, but she is wearing it in the portrait beside you."

Shikamaru turned his head to look at it. Temari sat on the bed and smelled the old fabric, with a disappointed look on her face. The smell that was once on the dress wore off through the years. Now, it only smelled like … old fabric.

"I have so few memories of her," she said sadly. "I remember bits here and there; when she died, I felt very lonely. I used to sneak here and hide in the wardrobe. I don't know if it was her scent on the clothes, or the small crowded space of the wardrobe, but I always felt better in there. I think the maids found me sleeping there a couple of times!" she said with a nostalgic smile.

Shikamaru came to sit beside her and let himself fall back onto the bed. He put an arm across his face and the other one stroked Temari's back.

"We need to go back soon …"

"Yes, I know …" she said, lying down beside him, her face hidden in his neck. "I don't know when to tell them; it never seems to be the right time." They heard a knock at the door.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Sofia quickly turned around, thinking she was disrupting a moment of intimacy.

"It's ok! We were just resting! What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you have seen Abigail?"

"She must still be with your other friend, no?"

"Aw man, it's great, but I haven't had a chance to take a look around … and I'm hungry! Hey! You guys want to hang out?"

Temari sat down and looked at Shikamaru. He nudged her.

"Go," he said to Temari. "Get Kankuro with you and catch up while you can!"

"Ok," she smiled

"Wooooaaaa! Dishish sho good!" said Sofia with a mouthful of candied fruits., walking backwards so the wind wouldn't whip her teal hair in her face.

"Isn't great? Those are hawthorns!" Temari said while chomping on one of her own.

"They're sweet and sour at the same time!"

"They are called 'Tanghulu'," Temari said pointing at the skewered fruit snack she was crunching on, while sucking on a candied strawberry.

"They are so yummy!"

"Girls …" whispered Kankuro to himself, while rolling his eyes.

"Here,"

Temari shoved the stick in front of her brother and he chewed a slice of dragonfruit from it.

"Hey, Kangaroo, what's that creepy thing you carry all the time?" Temari snorted when she heard the name.

" .ROOO," he said annoyed. "It's a puppet." he said after a pause. Sofia gasped and watched him with bright eyes.

"You do puppet shows?!"

"HAHAHAHAHA"

"Only for enemies," he smiled.

"Oh!" She turned to Temari. "And … I don't suppose that thing is for dancing?"

"Only with enemies" she replied, touching the giant fan on her back.

"I have a feeling you don't just hit them with that."

"No; more like, I blow them off!"

"They usually move 'downwind' afterwards!" Kankuro said, which made Temari giggle.

"And he gives them a free show! No 'strings attached'!"

"We are always 'blown away' by her skills …"

"HA HA, awww you're such a 'doll'!"

"I'm your number two 'fan'!"

Sofia watched them throwing puns at each other back and forth. She looked to the left and caught a glimpse of the cleft. It was stretching pretty far. She could see farther, a bunch of guys sitting beside it, seemingly waiting for something.

"That's got to be a pain …"

"Yes," Temari said. "People are extremely inconvenienced by it. They can go around it, but it can take a long time."

"Gaara's working on it," said Kankuro, his hands behind his neck. Sofia looked gloomy, which was not unnoticed by Temari.

"Gaara's a good man you know?"

"Good men, where I am from, do not try to kill good girls …"

"Ok, I don't know what happened exactly, but I'm sure he had a good reason!"

Kankuro hissed between his teeth. "Actually, I don't think he was himself back then …" he said.

"I think my brother has a crush on your friend," she whispered, as a secret. Sofia stared back

"He has strange ways to show his affection!"

"You know, now that I think about it, all his close friends and allies, he tried to kill at least once!" Kankuro said laughing.

"Okayyyy, now I feel much better," she replied sarcastically; but her face softened. "Well, he did save her life …" _I'll have to watch that anime when we get home_, she thought.

... 

Abigail was standing still, looking around the rock walls. Gaara studied her silently; his face full of hope. That feeling she had … it was new; she walked around with her hands up, slowly moving from side to side. There was a pull … she couldn't describe it to him, but it was there. When she waved her hands, nothing came out of the ground; but she felt something … like a tingling in her fingertips. She moved her body around some more and felt the tingling stronger, until she stopped and put her hand on the dusty ground.

"Gaara?"

"Is it there? Are you sure?"

"I think so …" she said with a surprised voice. "But I can't make it flow … I wonder if we have to dig a hole?"

"Stand aside!"

He made a few hand gestures and crossed his arms in a quick, sharp movement. The sand from his gourd poured out in a long string, creating some kind of sharp javelin.

"SAND DRILL!"

The long javelin shot down to the ground and disappeared. A minute passed without anything happening.

"I'm sorry, I thought I felt something, I guess I was mistaken."

"It's alright. It was a long shot …"

He offered her his hand with a gentle smile, presumably to start ascending to the top of the pit. She stepped forward but her shoe was suctioned into some liquid. She gasped when she looked down at her foot. Water was coming out of the hole made a few minutes ago.

"Gaara! Is that water?!"

He approached and lowered himself to the ground; He touched the liquid with his fingers, smelled it and smiled.

"It is!"

... 

The men took some time to reach them but the giant sand arrow that Gaara fashioned made it easy to be found. The men were all earth and wind users and created a wooden style pipe that would soon be replaced by metal pipes that would branch into the plumbing system of this part of the village.

Aby looked admiringly at Gaara talking with the men as they were working on the project. He turned to her and walked her way. As he did, so did Sofia and his siblings.

"I need to close that thing … brace yourselves."

"Wait, _you _are gonna close that?!" cried Sofia.

"Yes, it will be faster."

He rose up high with his sand so that he could have a better view of the whole thing. He brought his right fist in his opened left hand and closed his eyes. A low grumble came from the ground and Aby felt it trembled. People put their hands on their ears and screamed, thinking another earthquake was happening. The separated grounds moved slowly but steadily towards each other as it closed up. Gaara lifted his other hand and the sand of Suna obeyed his command, filling the remaining gap. Aby and Sofia held onto each other, mesmerized. Gaara was as still as a stone, while his tunic furiously waged battle against the wind.

"This guy is a freaking wizard!" cried Sofia, trying to cover the growling roar of the earth.

When all was done, Gaara came back down and let himself off the sand who went straight back in his gourd. Aby noticed that, although he was still dignified, he let out a few signs of exhaustion. His shoulders were not straight up and his torso was slightly bent forward. She remembered what he told her about using the sand in his gourd versus using the existing sand of the Wind Country.

_He must have expanded a lot of chakra to move and fill such a huge cleft!_

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a little tired."

"Here!" Sofia kindly offered a Tanghulu to Gaara who was startled by the sudden change of attitude towards him, but as expected by his siblings, politely refused the sweet snack.

She then gave it to Abigail who chewed on it right away. As they all walked back towards the Kazekage's office, Aby smiled at the sight of people gathering to where the cleft used to be. Children were jumping up and down on the ground, daring each other to test the surface. A big shadow suddenly enveloped the area and an older man urged the kids to head home, pointing to the sky. A huge, dark and threatening wall of sand was slowly making its way towards the village. Aby felt a chill in her spine. Sand storms don't seem frightening until you see one with your very eyes, heading your way.

"We should hurry!" she said, concerned.

Gaara, who was ahead with Kankuro and Temari, turned his head in her direction, but kept walking.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to reach home; although it doesn't look like it, it is still pretty far."

Aby grabbed Sofia's hand and squeezed a little. She paced slightly, still feeling nervous.

_Being stuck in a sand storm is bad enough, being chased by giant monsters is too much. _She swallowed the candied hawthorn and eyed the two strawberries on the skewer.

"Uhm, Gaara?" asked Aby shyly, remembering how it went the last time she tried to force food on him. "I think you should have the two last pieces …"

He felt uncomfortable. Didn't she hear him say no to her friend? He juggle the words in his head, remembering how it went the last time she tried to force food in him.

"Look, thank you, it's just, I don't—" 'like sweet stuff' is what he would have said if she didn't cut him off, apologetic.

"I know, I know … it's just, I know you are out of chakra from what you just did and you must feel rather weak right now … these are not much, but it will give you a little boost! Please, have them!"

Sofia snorted as she saw her friend bowing while extending the skewer as if offering it on a silver platter.

"Hey bud, for her to share sweets with you, you must mean a lot to her…" she reminded him with a frown. "Take it!"

He paused and took the skewer. "Thank you,"

Aby smiled and he turned around, he chewed the fruit twice and swallowed it whole, with difficulty. He did feel a little better after the second one. Temari silenced her giggle as Kankuro's mouth opened wide.

"Oh my God!' he whispered. "He's really fallen head over heels for her!"

They finally got to the residence and entered the active common room.

"Is anyone outside?"

"No Lord Gaara; all the staff is inside."

"And what about Shikamaru? And the children?"

"Inside as well!"

"Good"

"Should we serve dinner, Lord Fifth?" asked a young maid.

"Yes, Thank you"

They all went into the common room, while Gaara went back to his room to change, followed by Kankuro.

"Well, well!" his brother said, teasingly. "Two whole strawberries! Covered with candy!"

Gaara removed his dusty tunic and shook it out of the window, before closing it until the sandstorm passed. He did not answer, but shot him an inquisitive look.

"You never saw someone eating strawberries before?"

"I thought I've been thrown into a genjutsu!" he continued, ignoring his brother's sarcasm. Gaara looked at the cactus flower that was slowly withering away.

"What do you want?" he asked Kankuro.

"To counsel you in the ways of courtship!" he said in a professional tone, his hand on his heart.

Gaara pushed him back outside.

"I'm fine thank you!"

"You are not! You tried to kill her once and apparently, almost left her to die alone in the desert!"

"She was not alone and why does everybody keep bringing it up!"

"By the way, everybody you are close to, you tried to kill at some point!"

"That's …" Gaara gasped at the realization. "Oh …"

"Ok, STEP ONE! Comb back your hair and put some fixative to keep them slick!"

"What?! No! It's stupid and not my style! I'll never do that, ever!"

"STEP TWO!"

"Stop it!"

"Save her life!"

"I already did that!"

"Awww see? Making progress already! STEP THREE!" Gaara pushed him out towards the doorway.

"Give her some excitement!"

"What?"

"You know! Thrill! Take control! Fake something like a pursuit or something that's dangerous!"

"You want me to deliberately put her in danger?! What's wrong with you?"

"I said 'fake it'!" Gaara closed the door as soon as Kankuro stepped outside. "Chicks like exciting adventures Gaara!" Kankuro yelled through the closed door.

Gaara sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He let himself fall back and sighed deeply. An arm above his head and the other simply resting on his forehead, he stared at the ceiling and let a smile sneak in. He couldn't deny it anymore.

She moved him in every possible way. She was breaking every little barrier he had left. She put a breeze in his core and it somehow turned into a whirlwind that messed up all his senses. His defenses were breached and weakened; so was his composure. Her face and laugh came flowing in his mind and he found himself indulging more and more in the distraction, disturbing the flow of his scheduled routine. He closed his eyes at the shameful thought. He was actually enjoying her company more than his duties as a Kazekage.

"You can't do that!" he told himself, out loud. "You carry the weight of hundreds of people in your village! You can't do that!"

_She needs to go! _The weak little voice who dared to speak in his head was crushed by the army of emotions coming from the south.

He didn't want her to go. He wanted to keep feeling all of this. He wanted to feel his heart race, feel the blood rushing to his head. He shut his eyes hard and reddened at the thought; He wanted to hold her again, she was so small! He wanted to protect her and keep her for himself, no matter how many candies and cakes he'd have to eat …

He laughed. Choking on a dozen candied strawberries would be the sweetest death if it meant seeing her sparkly brown eyes, not that her eyes would sparkle if he was dying … hopefully.

He looked at his right hand. He wanted to hold her hand again. Just like Temari and Shikamaru, and Naruto and Hinata. He looked at the flower that was starting to finally show signs of withering.

_She is like a night bloom, _he realized, sadly. _Beautiful, pure and fragile_; _She just got here and she already has to go …_

A loud bang pulled him out of his reverie. He sat right up like a spring and looked at the source of the commotion; A very out of breath Akio was staring at him, with dark circles around his eyes. Gaara glared, not knowing what to make of the sudden apparition.

The man stared back, eyes wide open. His mouth opened and closed several times, as if he had many, many things to say, without knowing where to start.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he finally blurted out.

Gaara had a strong feeling he was referring to Abigail.

"In the common room, downstairs … probably wait—"

"COME!"

Akio had barely finished yelling the word that he had Gaara by the arm and running within the hall.

"EVERYONE COME IN THE COMMON ROOM RIGHT NOW" shouted the gatekeeper/writer. Gaara thought he was unsurprisingly informal in his presence, and also quite bossy …

A few maids raised their unconvinced head at the cry.

"Us too?"

"Oh! No, not you ladies … you may keep at your duties …" Gaara smiled politely, while being dragged.

They both stumbled in the room within seconds.

"YOU, I found something!" He looked around at the puzzled faces. "I discovered something ! I know … where are you?! I know! I figured it out! Where are you?!" He looked around, with excitement and anxiety at the same time. "Where is Abigail?!"

"I'm right here!" They all turned back towards the grand staircase, where Gaara and Akio came from a few seconds ago. She was in her room when she heard the commotion; she had stepped out to inquire about it but Akio was already dragging Gaara down the winding stairs and out of her sight.

So there she was: still at the top, her hair still wet from the shower, and very much the center of the attention that Akio created. She looked down at the gatekeeper, curious. What did he possibly find that drove him seemingly mad like that?!

"I figured it out!" He said with a face beaming with joy.

"I know what is happening to you and what you are!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Abigail started to make her way down as Akio went to meet her halfway up. To her surprise, he grabbed her by both shoulders and squeezed hard from excitement.

"You! You are not a gatekeeper!"

"She is not?!" replied the stunned crowd before she could place a word, as if watching a show from down the stage.

"No!" he said to the crowd, before turning his head back to the girl. Her brown eyes shone in the light of the lamp on the brick wall next to her.

"What is it?" she asked, sure he had more to say.

"You are a GRAND GATEKEEPER!"

A fly could be heard flying about in the common room. It went straight to the closest lamp and landed on it, plunging the room in an awkward silence.

"Oh,"

"HA HA!" Akio laughed at her clueless expression and did a happy dance back down the stairs. Aby's eyes glanced toward the crowd and saw that their faces were just as lost as she was. There didn't seem to be much difference between a Gatekeeper and a Grand Gatekeeper, no matter how excited Akio looked.

He kept chanting 'Grand Gatekeeper!' over and over again and couldn't believe this was happening to him; to have such a rare opportunity to be of assistance to the formation of a Grand Gatekeeper!

"So … what am I?" she timidly asked, hoping for some "job description" that comes with the title.

"A Grand Gatekeeper! Yes I know, it doesn't scream 'glory' but it is so much more than a simple gatekeeper, which is already not nothing!" he explained to his audience who were staring at him puzzled.

"A Gatekeeper is someone who guards a particular, but not necessarily appointed gate between our world and a created world like this one. The keeper is given the key of the gate and that ends there! Although pretty straight forward, that is no mere task! Not everyone can be a gatekeeper … for instance, I cannot walk down the street, choose a random person and give him or her the key! This person has to be naturally committed and have affinities with the particular world! Even if a fanatic of Naruto, in this case, would be strong enough and show commitment for now, our human nature distracts us! We change our minds, our interests change overtime! That is why God chooses the most fitting to the task!"

"Ok, but what about me?" asked Abigail impatiently.

"You were chosen too!"

"You said I am more than a Gatekeeper!"

"Yes! But you hold the key to many gates!"

"Many?!"

"Well ... you are still responsible for one, but as any organization needs a leader, so does this! A Grand Gatekeeper leads the other Gatekeepers and keeps them in check! Think of it as a supervisor or a manager of an organization! A commander in the army!"

"But Naruto started when I was in elementary school! Surely there was already a Gatekeeper, let alone a Grand Gatekeeper!"

"Unless the Grand Gatekeeper died and needs replacement …" reminded Gaara bluntly.

They all turned to him and Aby gasped at his reasoning. She turned back to Akio whose face turned serious.

"The man I spoke of, I never heard back … the key was in my possession all this time; now you are here with these powers. That can only mean that the man was not only the gatekeeper of this world, but a Grand Gatekeeper."

"And so meeting us here, you automatically assumed that she was that keeper?" asked Sakura.

"Why not Sofia?" added Sasuke.

"Or Matthew or Hazel" chimed in Shikamaru, they are training as we speak and getting accustomed to the ways of Shinobis...why do you have your heart set on the fact that SHE is the keeper … or Grand keeper or whatever ..."

"Wait … Matthew and Hazel?" Temari shushed Kankuro and explained who they were in a whisper.

"Again, I'm a gatekeeper; I know when I see another Gatekeeper … I don't know how it works, but you just know ... you know? What I didn't know is that the previous Gatekeeper would find me."

The room was silent for a few seconds while Aby slowly took in everything that the writer said. She bursted out laughing so loud, she had to bend over and hold onto her belly. That story by itself would be an awesome anime.

Sofia pulled out a smirk before stepping forward towards the puzzled man.

"Clearly you do not know Aby! She sure is loyal to a default, but she couldn't hurt a fly … let alone lead an army of … whatever these gatekeepers are.

"No one become soldier before getting trained for it!" replied Akio, impatiently. He turned his face towards Gaara who was studying Aby with a gentle face. He was remembering the day when he left her to fend for herself and she came running after him, begging to at least take the children. Then she took him by surprise by embracing him. He found her attractive before that, but that was when his heart started to make cartwheels in his chest. He was startled when Akio stared and pointed at him.

"You! You are going to train her!"

He jumped at the sudden turn of events. The gatekeeper pointed straight at him, ignoring the fact that pointing at a Kage was considered very rude, let alone giving that ruler orders!

"Say what now?!"

"A Grand Gatekeeper is much more powerful than anyone else! This is where the power she has with the water comes from! She is new to all this, so she needs guidance! I can help her with the guidance, but you two share a power in common! You need to help her control it!"

Kankuro's jaw dropped and Temari seemed to make a happy dance from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't deny that the prospect of spending some more time with her felt warm and fuzzy, but he couldn't help but protest as the Kazekage.

"I understand the urgency in your tone of voice, but I am the Kazekage; as you surely know, since you created me, I cannot leave my duties behind so easily!"

"Baki! You won't mind filling in for the position while we are on our way to Konoha, right?" casually asked Akio to the man who was silently observing the scene from a corner of the room. The sudden reach out made him uneasy.

"M-me? Well ...I'm not as suited as—" Akio glared at him like an unimpressed God who was being told off. Baki looked towards Gaara who nodded in his direction, arms crossed.

"Fine, if it is the duty that my Lord wants me to fulfill, then I'll fill in for the time being."

"I still don't understand why it has to be me …" said Gaara who regretted his words when he saw Abigail's face.

"Oh! I didn't mean … I was just thinking that I'm not the only one powerful … or the most powerful for that matter ... "

"You and her have the same defense in common! The sand answers to you and water, to her!"

"It's not quite the same" breathed Aby out, without looking up."

"Only the source is different! Find your source and control it! We leave tomorrow!" he said happily to the group. "Konoha has more water around, which will make it easier for Abigail! I can't believe I am here to witness all that!"

As the shinobis looked at each other, not sure what to think of all this, Aby realized that Akio opened the box he left on the table before heading to the Kazekage's office earlier today. Gaara came to meet Aby on the stairs.

"Hey, about what I said just now … I wasn't saying that I didn't—what is it?" He turned in the direction Aby was frowning upon and saw the gatekeeper, staring at the opened box. Gaara climbed back down and went closer to Akio who was paralyzed and lost for words. He looked at the opened box and turned his gaze upon Aby.

"It's empty!"

The shinobis and Sofia quieted down as Gaara said the words. Abigail gasped, realizing the importance the content had, according to Akio.

"The pen too?"

Akio shook his head, showing the pen he still had in his shirt pocket, thankfully. She looked around the room and ran downstairs towards the children who were playing with a bug on the ground.

"Toshiko, Tori, did you guys find a key and maybe decided to play with it?"

Akio looked with hopeful eyes.

"No! He said it was dangerous, so we didn't touch it."

"No keys!" added Tori shrugging her shoulders.

The gatekeeper pulled his hair. "How could I have been so stupid! Casually leaving the box here while I went to do the research! What if it is in the wrong hands?"

"Relax!" Said Gaara, putting a hand on the writer's shoulder. It might just be lost! We'll look for it ..."

"We cannot relax! Have you even listened to what I said?'' asked Akio angrily. Aby suddenly looked around, realizing something.

"Where is Chris?"

... 

She stared out of the window, her foot nervously tapping on the ground as the sand storm kept raging outside. She held her arms wrapped around her own body and shivered at the sight of the monstrous shadows walking through the storm.

_It's my fault_, she thought. A gentle hand startled her on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

Gaara's voice was soothing and inviting for confessions. She avoided eye contact and kept looking out, shaking her head and trying hard to contain the tears that were leaking out.

"Are you um … are you worried about him?"

"It's my fault!" she blurted out. I said something and he left and he got stuck in the storm and probably, one of those creatures …"

Gaara turned her around from where she was standing inside her room and pulled her to him, using his own scarf to dry up the tears. But she buried her face in his coat, trying hard to muffle the cries she was no longer able to keep in.

"I w-was horrib-ble to him!" she said between two sobs, "And I … I hurt him and he left and n-now … now he might …"

"Wait, Wait … You were horrible to him?! How did you come up with this conclusion? Did it occur to you that he might have stolen the key and ran away?"

She shook her head, still hidden in his red trench coat, but holding on to the soft scarf.

"He kissed me this morning …"

Gaara's heart stopped, paralyzed by the sudden shock. A few seconds passed, but instead of moving away, his fingers tightened their grip on her. An old feeling resurfaced out of nowhere and shook his whole body.

Hatred.

The taste of the long lost emotion was bitter in his mouth. He fought the feeling that was rising; he took a few deep breaths to let it pass.

When she saw that he was not responding, she looked up at his frowning face. Her eyes met his and she couldn't see if he was just shocked or angry … or both? She let a few more tears come out.

"I knew for a long time that he liked me. He was always obvious about it. I thought I liked the attention. I thought I liked him too, sometimes … arrrg … I don't know! Anyway, I pulled away while we were kissing because it didn't feel right. And he got mad … and … c-called me a tease … and …"

She started sobbing again as Gaara breathed loudly and loosened his grip. _She pulled away? It didn't feel right?_

"So why do you think it is your fault?"

She looked up confused. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes. You said he kissed you, it didn't feel right so you stopped him … as what any respectable woman would do, I would assume …"

"Well ... that's ... I never saw it that way."

"He made you see it that way ... And he called you a tease?" he frowned. "It seems to me that you should be the one to be angry!"

_I wouldn't have said any better!_ Thought Sofia, peeking through the doorway. This Gaara dude was not so bad after all, as opposed to Chris; when did the roles switch? She gave another glance before leaving them alone. She thought that her friend would need her since Chris disappeared, but clearly, the eyeliner guy had been one step ahead. She walked toward her room and met Kankuro in the hallway.

"KANGAROO!" she smiled.

The man sighed with closed eyes and ignored the nickname she gave him.

"Did my brother beat you to it?"

"To what"

"The process of comforting the heart of a lady of interest and winning her at the same time?"

"Well!" she laughed, "I wasn't planning on making her my girl … but yes, that's pretty much what is going on in there!"

She studied him with a smile.

"Is that how you got _your _girl? The comfort and all?" she asked teasingly.

He grinned without looking at her. "I don't have a girl."

"No?!"

"None of them are good enough for me," he said, mockingly. Sofia crossed her arms and grinned.

"So all the interesting women were already taken … right?"

"Ha ha, well, that too but there were very few!"

She raised an eyebrow. "You must have very high standards!" she smirked.

"How about you, gatekeeper's friend, you have a guy?"

She dropped her smile slightly and turned to face the window in the hall.

"They never stick around for long."

It was Kankuro's turn to raise an eyebrow. He asked a silent question when she looked back at him.

"I don't know … maybe it's my free spirited nature that turns them off, but I was always faithful to them!"

"You're saying 'them'."

"Not all at once!" she laughed.

"How many were they?"

"It doesn't matter."

She walked passed him with a gentle scratch on his shoulder and reached her own room door.

"No it doesn't," he insisted, "but I'm curious as to how many broke your heart?"

"Who said THEY broke my heart?"

"Your eyes …"

She was startled by his answer but ended up smiling.

"No wonder no women are good enough! You must be picking a lot of stuff if you can read their eyes so easily!"

She opened the door to get inside, aware of the stare in her back. _You must be picking up on a lot of stuff when you're a ninja_, she concluded.

"You didn't answer my question …" he pressed on before she could get in.

"There were five or six." She smiled, trying to hide any hint of disappointment; But once again, his ninja eyes could see through hers.

"That's a lot of heartbreaks …"

"Bah … one day it'll stop," she said while getting into the room. She turned to him before closing the door. "Maybe, one day, one will be good enough!" said Sofia, smiling at him. He shrugged his right shoulder and smiled back.

... 

Aby sat on the bed looking to the left while Gaara was speaking. His voice was soothing, but she couldn't focus on the words. Was Chris really in the wrong? She couldn't shake the feeling that she had been selfish and somewhat insensitive to his feelings.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

"Oh! Ah … I'm sorry … I was thinking, what did you say?"

Gaara sighed. "I said, I can't shake the feeling that this guy took the key and took off."

"You're just saying that because you don't like him …" she said, rolling her eyes. Gaara tried his best not to look offended.

"You're right! I don't like him! And I'm not the only one! Don't you think it's weird that he disappeared at the same time as the content of that box, right after Akio explained to him this morning how precious these were?"

"Maybe he was set up? Which would be easy to do since nobody likes him!"

"I'm the Kazekage! I don't accuse or condemn anybody just because I don't like them!" he said with a hint of annoyance.

Aby glanced up to him, he was right. Gaara was a wise man, looking for facts before emotions. She smiled, remembering the first few episodes when he was introduced to the series.

"At least, not anymore …" she teased him. She giggled when his face changed from annoyed to flustered shame. "I apologize, I couldn't help it! But you know, you should not let your past get to you. You have a lot of fans in my world, as well as in yours, especially because of how you came to be who you are today!"

"You … you must have some fans as well …"

"What? No. I'm not a leader. I'm nothing special. People say I'm too introverted, to put it nicely. I have a hard time to trust, especially … oh. Never mind." She was going to say "the opposite sex" but somehow didn't want to say that much to him, who was, in fact, a part of the opposite sex.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit." he said with a faint smile. She was getting a lot of these from him lately. It gave her butterflies in her belly. She felt him very close and didn't dare to look up. She blushed and felt the need to go back and hide in his long coat. It smelled of … something she couldn't place; sweet tanned skin, soft golden sand with a mix of exotic spices. She remembered when his hand reached out for hers in the pit that was now covered. A chill ran down her spine at the sudden thought and she gasped.

"What is it?"

"You don't think that Chris would have fallen down the cleft and was buried alive! Right?" She cried out in horror. But Gaara shook his head and smiled.

"I did a full screening before filling the pit. No one was there. Everyone is safe."

She left a sigh of relief out but looked him in the eyes.

"Then where is he?!"

"Looks like we are able to find out!" he said while looking out. The storm was finally calming, and the streets of Suna showed no signs of the desert creatures. Aby followed him out of the room and saw him giving orders to three guards. They all ran out to look for the missing fool.

"No one else gets out of here or comes in without my authorization!"

"Yes Lord Gaara!" Answered the guards and Baki in unison. Abi looked at him perplexed.

"Why? The storm has passed …"

"Because the key is still missing, and if Akio is right, then it would not be good for the thief to walk out with them; or for his friends to come back him up!"

"How do you know the thief got friends?"

"I don't for sure, but Kankuro, Sasuke and Sakura mentioned three men escaped their attacks and seemed to be hiding somewhere. These two incidents could be connected somehow." He lowered his eyes to meet Abigail's.

She smiled sadly in answer. He knew she didn't want to believe Chris was involved in this, but couldn't deny the possibility, or any possibility for that matter.

"This is your first lesson as a leader; people may disappoint you and even betray you. Do not let your emotions dismiss the possibility."

"Ok," she answered sadly, accepting the fact that Chris might be a traitor to Gaara's eyes. She kept thinking that if it was the case, she might have been the cause; maybe a moment of anger and feelings of betrayal pushed him to commit such senseless actions. There was no way he would be like that otherwise. What would he even do with the key? He was just a guy who created leather bags!

Gaara watched her and wished he could cheer her up to see the sparkle in her eyes again. He glanced further to the left and saw his brother looking straight at them, grinning from ear to ear, arms crossed.

_Girls like exciting adventures huh? _Gaara remembered his brother saying.

He looked once more at Aby who was still lost in thought. He lowered himself to her level.

"Follow me!"

"What? Where?" she whispered back.

She tried to keep up while he ran to the third floor, passed the rooms and towards his office. But instead of going all the way, he stopped midway and opened the door to the circling staircase. He waited for her with a smirk that she never saw before. She looked at him and the door, back and forth. He nodded towards the door.

"Where are we g—"

"SHHHHH! We're sneaking out!"

"... What?!"

Gaara grabbed her hand and pulled her as he ran up to a door half way up. He opened it and signaled for her to head out, with a finger on his mouth.

She gave him a nervous smile; What was this all about? That was not like him at all; and why were they sneaking out? She cautiously walked out and looked down; only a gentle evening breeze remained from the storm, leaving the village ground and the desert around Suna looking smooth like velvet, lit by the setting sun in the distance. She turned to him, waiting for further instructions, her hair moving in the breeze. He gently closed the door behind him without making noise and looked down the building. He then offered his hand to Aby. She looked at him, horrified.

"Are you mad?! You want to jump?!"

"There is something I want to show you that I believe will cheer you up a lot, for that we need to get out of the village."

"Out of the village?! Why can't we just go through the front door?" He shook his head, still extending his hand.

"I just gave the order for no one to come in or out … and I'm supposed to be inside, doing Kazekage stuff … not playing with a woman!"

He blushed at his own statement and gave an irresistible shy smile. She looked back at the door and at Gaara again, trying to figure out why his behavior changed so suddenly. But it was better than being kicked out or attacked with a sand coffin! She mumbled something and took the hand he offered. He brought her close to the edge and looked around, up and down.

"Do you trust me?" he asked at last.

_What is this? Aladdin? Next thing will be a ride on a magic carpet?_

"Uh Huh?" She nodded nervously.

He pulled her as he jumped and slid off the platform, to the lower step, a few meters down. She gasped for air as she lost her footing and plunged to her death. She was caught by him with both hands. She breathed heavily as she was effortlessly pulled up in front of him. She closed her eyes in fear. They were still very high, and a fall would kill them both … is what she thought. However, Gaara smiled above her. All he had to do was to activate his sand and they would reach the bottom safe and sound, but he could hear his brother complain: _that wouldn't be exciting!_

"It's ok," he whispered in her ear, "I got you!"

She calmed down by his reassurance, but her belly trembled at his touch; he was holding her by the waist, pushing her forward, along the improvised step, and she moved, ignoring the dizziness.

They came to the end of the step and he nudged her toward the dusty stone rain spout which was not often useful. He gently squeezed passed her and held onto the spout and started to climb down. He waited for her to do the same. Her hands trembled but followed his example a few seconds later. They climbed down until their feet found a lower roof of the building. Her legs were shaking by then; her muscles were not used to any of this. He helped her down on the lower roof and she fell in his arms, shocked and alarmed at how close their faces were. He looked away and quickly put her down, a tint of red in his face.

"Almost there!" he said.

He would've done all that with two jumps, but she was not a kunoichi, she was still hesitant and clumsy, without mentioning fragile. It gave him an even stronger desire to protect her. She followed him with heavy trembling legs. There were some vines going further down to the ground. She looked at him and felt her heart was going to stop … climbing down was already hard enough; using a vine, or a rope, or anything like that spelled disaster for her. She remembered, a long time ago, in elementary school, she couldn't climb up the rope. Others did it easily. She wasn't strong enough. She had cold sweats; she was stuck. He looked back at her with his green eyes and saw the fear and resignation in her eyes.

"Put the vine between and around your feet, almost wrapping them, and hold onto it with your hands, then slide down slowly."

He went first to show her and waited half way. He could've held onto her himself and lowered them on the ground; in fact, he wanted to do just that, but felt he needed to show her instead, so she could see she had the strength to do it by herself.

She took a deep breath and forced her shaking hands to grab onto the vine, like he'd shown her. It took more strength than she thought but focused on it until she almost reached the bottom. A cicada that was nearby startled her and she let go of the vine, letting out a loud shout while falling. Gaara caught her and they ran in the shadows.

"Sorry …" she said shyly. "I didn't realize I was this close to the ground!"

She looked up at the distance they climbed down and gasped. That was pretty high!

Gaara put his index finger on her mouth to remind her to be quiet. She nodded, smiling, happy to be on the ground. He took her hand again and sneaked along the wall, looking around, before jumping down the outside stairs. She followed him, once more, with his help, and they started to run towards the village's rocky gates, zigzagging between houses.

... 

Sakura watched Sasuke drink by himself, seemingly in deep thoughts. Her presence startled him.

"Are you ok?"

"Uhm Yes"

"What are you thinking about?"

"... Nothing …" he said, taking another sip of his tea.

"Liar!" she said, smiling. Baki came in, smiling, with a few guards.

"Where is Lord Kazekage?" asked Sasuke, glad he could avoid Sakura's questions.

"It seems he sneaked out with the girl," he said with his eyes closed.

"Huh?" cried Sakura. Kankuro came by laughing with Temari on his feet.

"You saw it too?" he told Baki. "It was so funny!"

"What? What was funny?" inquired Sasuke.

"It seems, for some reason, Gaara pretended to sneak out with the girl without being noticed …" he said, amused.

"Wait … which girl?!"

"Abigail!" answered Kankuro. "They went out on the roof and climbed down, he held her hand and looked around, making sure no one saw them … it was cute!"

Sakura was left speechless.

"Gaara didn't know? How can he not know you were watching?" A herd of protests rose up at once.

"Of course he knew!" spit out Baki. "He is the Kazekage! Of course he knew we were watching!"

"Then why …" Sakura looked up to Sasuke, confused; but as usual, he avoided eye contact.

"Ehhh, I might have suggested something like that, along that line …" Kankuro said, raising his arm.

"You know … to give the girl a good time …"

"Give the girl a good time?! Wait!" She suddenly caught on with the rest, as Sasuke looked up at Kankuro. "Does Ga—Lord Gaara have a crush on Abigail?"

Kankuro thought about it for a few seconds …

"Hmmm, I wouldn't call it a crush. I think he fell for her; like … really bad!"

"Oh! How adorable!" Sakura put her hands to her heart and looked at Sasuke who kept drinking. She thought it was a good thing it wasn't sake ...

...

Gaara watched Abigail from behind, with an affectionate smirk on his face. She hopped further into the desert, in the direction he indicated, all smiles. She turned to him while hopping backwards.

"I still can't believe we did that! My heart stopped more than once! What would you have done if I broke my neck and died on your watch?"

"That would have never happened … besides, your friend would've killed me ten times over."

"As if Sofia could land a finger on you!" She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ha ha, That was so much fun! I never climbed down a rope before! I mean, climbing up must be more challenging; but still!"

She looked at the big rising crescent moon. "Where are we going?"

"We're almost there. Near that tree over there …"

She looked in the direction he pointed at; There, stood a small, seemingly dead tree, where a few roots protruded from the ground. Where it used to get its nutrients, was only her guess.

"What is there?"

"Shhh, don't make any noise and follow me."

She tiptoed behind him, following his example.

"As you know, my childhood wasn't the happiest time." She nodded. "I often went raging alone in the desert, releasing my anger and hatred here. Not long after I met Naruto," he paused when he looked at her. Her hair gently moved in the night breeze, revealing some silver highlights under the moonlight. Her eyes looked up, wondering what was coming next. "... I stumbled here by chance. This became my favorite place, which I find soothing."

Abigail broke eye contact to look at the empty land around.

"Yeah...it's...it's beautiful!" He smiled and tilted his head.

"Liar"

"What?! No! ... ok fine … I'm sorry, it's just … there's nothing here, I don't see anything else but sand," she admitted.

"Sit" he ordered.

She studied him, perplexed, and did as she was told, crossing her legs.

He put a finger to his lips and backed away slowly, being careful where he placed his feet.

"Where are you …"

"Shhh, just don't move."

He was a few meters back, crouched down and put the palm of his hand against the cool white sand.

"You're not going to summon a creature to eat me, right?"

He smiled. "Ready?"

"Please don't kill me!" she said in a forced whisper.

He looked down to the ground and without saying a word, an invisible force was transferred from his hand. His hair and long red coat were lifted from the force and the ground around slightly shook for a few seconds.

What emerged from the sand was not a monstrous creature, but hundreds of butterfly-like insects! The creatures, who were the size of her fist, resembled moths, but with a glowing golden belly, that lit up the night all around her. Her jaw dropped as the insects filled the space around and above her. A few of the gentle insects curiously flipped-flopped around her and landed on her arms, hands and right shoulder. One slightly messed her hair as it crashed landed and took off instantly, which made her snort in surprise. The sight was beautiful! It was like a huge garden lit by magical creatures, like fairies! She giggled as one of the creatures explored that weird soft surface that was her hand. It delicately moved its two front legs on the tip of her fingers and stretched its antennas to touch them. Feeling her gaze on it, it turned around to stare back at the giant eyes looking at it. It wore a furry, bright red, imposing mane around its neck, held by two parts navy blue body, with four wings at the top and two smaller wings at the end of its tail. Its six slim legs also had fuzzy larger hooves at the bottom. It tilted its head at her from side to side and finally flew away, after blinking its green eyes. She looked at Gaara, amazed, and was answered by another smile. He watched her as if she was part of a mystical show of magical creatures dancing before him. The 'lumiflies' danced around her, immersing her in a golden light. He thought she could easily be mistaken for an angel. She raised herself on her knees and looked up at the tiny creatures in awe. She heard of fireflies before and even saw a few … but those … she looked to the sky and gasped, mouth wide open, seeing for the first time this world's sky, free of clouds. Gaara was shocked by her sudden behavior.

"What's wrong?" He said looking up where she was looking; but all he could see were stars and lumiflies. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She looked up at his puzzled face and grimaced, wiping her face in one quick motion and laughing.

"Nothing is wrong! I'm so sorry … it's just, I always wanted to see the stars!" She scoffed at her own silliness. "Wow, you just just gave me a sky full of stars," she whispered to herself.

"Well … I didn't really, literally, give it to you …" he whispered back and she laughed.

"No, but you brought me here and … did all that!" She waved her hand around. "The stars and the … whatever you call those fairies!"

"They are called 'Lumiflies'" he laughed.

"Lumiflies," she said laughing as she wiped more tears off her face with the top of her borrowed shirt. "I'm sorry …" she started.

"What for?"

"For always being like this … I'm always crying and asking forgiveness … then doing something wrong and getting out of line than crying … it's getting a habit," she laughed nervously. "Also, I don't like when people see me crying … I mean, it gets awkward for everybody."

_She's hiding herself, like a night bloom_, he thought. He came closer and sat down beside her.

"But this time, there is nothing to forgive!"

His gentle smile made her heart skip a few beats and she looked away. The reaction was not unnoticed.

"How are you always so confident ..." she asked without looking at him.

"Huh?"

"Everything you do; you never flinch, you're always cool headed, you never seem to be insecure or scared about anything … how do you do that?"

Gaara's smile faded and he looked away for a moment. Not sure if he wanted to go back to the memories where he wasn't always confident.

"From a very young age, it was not so much about confidence as it was about … hmmm … I guess, a lack of purpose. After my uncle ...died … I just … I don't know … switched off? I lost all sympathy or emotions. I stopped caring about anything except myself … and even so, I felt numb. I tried many times to end it, but of course, it would never work because of the sand protecting me. The notion of being hurt was foreign to me, so I was never afraid of anything or anyone. My first chunin exam was the first slap in my face …"

Aby's face looked up in realization. "Your fight with Lee!"

He nodded. Lee was the first one to be able to touch him in a fight. It took him by surprise and got confused and angry. Then Sasuke drew the first drop of blood … now that made him lose it. He realized for the first time that he was not as powerful as he thought and that there was a possibility that he could be outmatched. That drove him mad. But Naruto …

"It was Naruto who shook me to the core. He gave me a purpose that was beside myself. I grew stronger by caring and fearing for others. Since that day, I became sure of myself. I had a purpose. My head was always cool, as you say. My decisions were always spot on … until recently."

She looked at him, curious.

"You are special," he continued, tracing something in the sand with his finger.

"Your heart is full of justice and love for others; even strangers! That is rare for humans to be that way; most of the time, people are selfish. But you, you keep the weak under your wings, you protect them as best as you can, with all you've got. I'm not surprised that your God made you Grand Gatekeeper," he said with a smile. "You're special; I know it, your friends know it, those kids know it …" Gaara paused, still looking down at the night-bloom flower he traced. "That guy, Chris, he knows it too … and that … that makes me feel insecure …"

Abigail slowly took in what he was saying. The fact that Chris knew she 'was special', made Gaara feel insecure? He saw the question in her eyes and cleared his throat.

"I don't want him to realize it; that you're special … I want to be the only one to …" He cursed himself; What the hell was he doing?

"I want you to be special to me only …"

He dared a glance at her and her brown eyes grew big and her cheeks turned pink against the white sand behind her. The whole desert was silent. The breeze stopped, which was no little thing for such a big empty, open space. The only noise came from the lumiflies still fluttering around, although they diminished in number, surrounding them with a few golden moving lights.

He looked at her and waited for a response, but she didn't give any. She just stared back at him in shock. Not sure if his message went across, all he could do was stare back. Only this time, he didn't try to resist her eyes. He willingly lost himself in them again, and why not?! He was tired of resisting. Nobody else was there to notice it but her. He cautiously closed the gap, watching her reaction, in case she might decide that it was too close; but she didn't move away. She closed her eyes and felt his lips brushing hers.

She felt a chill and warmth at the same time and she trembled. Her hands moved on their own and went through his hair. Her sensations, however, were nothing compared to his.

He had no idea ...

He thought he did, but this was beyond everything ...

His ability to think was completely gone. All he could feel was her warm lips on his and her hands; her soft, warm hands in his hair and cheeks. Every time they moved, his head followed, begging for more caress; more warmth. He held her hand against his head and opened his eyes halfway. She smiled and kissed him back.

Now this...this felt right.

... 

Temari quickly filled her bag with the few items she had brought, humming an old melody her mother used to hum when she was little. She felt a pinch in her heart, realizing Gaara never got to hear it. It had been decided that they would all go to Konoha in the morning. The children had shown themselves uneasy at the idea, so she had talked to them about her friends in an attempt to lighten their spirit. She had put them to sleep and covered them up to their necks in the soft blanket that used to be hers. She turned to her sleeping husband while she pulled the bag's strings closed. His hand was resting on his abdomen, the fingers closed on a little worn out, brown, furry bear. She smiled and gently took it from him. She recognized Ruffy Ruffy instantly; Gaara's teddy bear when he was little. She reminisced the memory of her little brother carrying the little plushy everywhere he went; who knows how many tears dried up on that bear. Her smile faded at the memory and she started to sob quietly.

"You're pretty emotional these days."

She turned around towards Shikamaru. He had not moved, except for his head turned in her direction. He had a kind smile on his lips. She wiped her face with her sleeve and showed him the bear, smiling back, embarrassed.

"That was Gaara's"

"I figured as much; it's missing an eye …"

Of course, all Teddies lose their eyes eventually, or something else. She knew he was trying to be funny, referring to his disturbing past. She just grimaced.

"Lucky for you he turned out to be a good guy … who knows what he would have done to you when we started dating!"

"Yeeaahhhh … I'd rather not go there …"

"I wonder if they found him. Chris, I mean …"

"We would have heard about it by …"

They were both startled by Kankuro who suddenly came through the door with full stealth power. He closed the door without a noise and turned around in a swift movement, his arms spread out and his back to the door, as if he was hiding from someone. He met Temari's eyes and a huge grin formed on his face.

"What the …" Shikamaru started.

"Shhhhhh! They're coming!" Kankuro said excitedly.

"Who?!" asked Temari.

"Gaara and Abigail! They're coming! Tema! I think they're ...y'know! Together!"

Temari's jaw dropped and she ran to her brother while shaking her hands and trying to scream quietly.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

Shikamaru looked at them unimpressed, comparing them to two teenage girls, pushing each other to spy at the door. He rolled his eyes and went back to sleep. "What a drag ..."

Temari and Kankuro watched the door across from their room which was Aby's, and hushed each other as they finally heard footsteps coming from the grand staircase. The voices were unmistakably their brother's and Aby's. They opened the door slightly to peek.

They were both walking side by side, but to their disappointment, nothing gave indications of a change in their relationship. Temari sighed in frustration and whispered to her brother.

"What the hell, I thought you said they were together!"

"They were laughing together outside, ok?!"

"Are you for real?!" She whispered angrily.

"Will you two shut it? I'm trying to sleep!" Kankuro ignored his brother in law.

"Just shut up and wait!"

They turned back towards the couple who were making their way towards the rooms.

"You must be happy to see your friends again." Gaara was walking, arms crossed, looking dignified, as usual.

"Yes," she said shyly. "I feel like it has been an eternity already. I can't wait to see them again-66. I know Sofia feels the same too. I'm also looking forward to my training," she said, looking at him.

"Mmm, You will have a lot to learn," he said with concern. "Shinobis are usually trained from a very young age …"

"I'll do my best, Gaara sensei!"

He stopped and it took her a moment to realize why. They were in front of her room. They had to part for the night. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks. It still felt very strange. She looked at him looking at her, his hands were now in his back.

"Well, good night," he said at last.

"Good night!" She answered back.

He waited a few seconds and turned away to walk to his own room.

"Gaara?" Aby said in a hurry.

"Uhm?"

"Uh … well …" she looked down. He was back to his old self; she felt insecure again. What if none of this meant anything to him? Did he just see an opportunity and took it? Not that anything more happened, but … She sighed nervously at the possibility that she got played after all … without really believing that he would do such a thing. As she was looking for words and seeking sound reasoning, he just tilted his head and waited.

"Uhm, I just … _Iloveyou_," She whispered quickly in one small breath, regretting those words as soon as she said them. It suddenly felt stupid. You don't say that after one kiss!

It was more than one kiss … But it was the first one! You just don't do that … do you? Was she being naive? She was now afraid he would be freaked out as she waited for some answer that wasn't coming.

That's it … she thought while cursing herself. I just freaked him out … I messed up.

"I know," he finally said as she was getting into her room.

She glared at him, obviously ticked off by his answer; but was met with a teasing smile. He placed one hand on the side of her face and gave her a long kiss, and a second shorter one, then connected his forehead with her's.

"I'm sorry … It's probably stupid … I just wanted you to say it …"

"Oh …" she said, her eyes half closed her head still in the clouds. He kissed her one last time and pulled away.

"I love you too," he whispered. She waved timidly at him and went inside her room, biting her lower lips. This better not be a freaking dream, she thought as she closed the door.

He made two steps backwards and turned around, looking at the door across the hall, and sighed.

"Good night to you two as well." He said, while walking away. He rolled his eyes when he heard the giggles of his older siblings hiding behind the door.

He went straight to his bed, kicked off his boots and let himself fall forward on the soft mattress, his heart still racing.

What an interesting day it was! He thought before drifting to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

She had woken up early again this morning; actually, more like she didn't quite get a good night's sleep, due to last night's events. Aby had glanced towards Gaara's closed bedroom door and fought the urge to peek inside to see if he was still sleeping.

She made her way to the very top of the building, through the winding staircase and opened the ceiling hatch as she did the previous morning. She knew they would depart today for Konoha and she wanted to see Sunagakure one last time under the rising sun. The sunrise, as before, had brought a soothing peace to her heart, but was mixed with emotions from last night.

Now, they were all on their way, far from Suna's gate and the sun was revealing its scorching heat. They walked at a steady pace, nonetheless, excited at the prospect of seeing their friends and Konoha; especially Abigail; she wiped the sweat from her brow, but discomfort didn't take her smile away.

Sofia stared at her friend from behind and wondered what the hell could have happened for her to be lost in thoughts like this. The children, she noted, were too hot to play and run around, so they just kept on walking beside Abigail, head down, without complaining. Yashiko joined Sakura who was behind Sasuke. She observed them talking with animation about the wonders of healing chakra. At some point, while they all rested for a snack, they were even exchanging notes on paper.

She saw Yashiko nodding enthusiastically. "Thank you! I'm really looking forward to it!"

Sakura didn't have much time to reply; Sasuke unexpectedly came in between them and grabbed the note that Yashiko was holding.

"Hey! We are in the middle of a mission! Could you at least wait until it's over to flirt around?"

Sasuke waved the paper and blushed when he glanced at it. Obviously expecting something else, what he saw was several lines describing different procedures of chakra healing. Sakura, who would usually get angry at this outburst of unnecessary disturbance, stared back in shock and confusion. Yashiko, seemingly embarrassed, bowed apologetically.

"I apologize for misleading you … I wasn't courting! We were only discussing the techniques she uses for healing. I wish to learn more … so I asked her, quite boldly I must say, if we could talk some more later."

Sasuke looked up to Sakura, then Yashiko.

"Why would you apologize to me? It is not my business who you court … just not my teammate!" he quickly added, "I mean, not my teammate while on a mission! Anyway, I'm the one who should apologize," he grumbled, "I jumped to conclusions … not that the conclusions would be bad! J-Just not during a mission!" He gave back the note to Yashiko and quickly walked away.

Everybody observed in silence, looking perplexed at this new strange behavior. Sofia leaned in close to Abigail, smirking.

"Told ya …" she whispered to her friend, picking up on the obvious jealousy he was trying to hide. Aby raised an eyebrow and smiled. She quickly glanced towards Gaara and down at her apple, before crunching off a bite. He and Kankuro were talking about something; she couldn't make out the words but Kankuro's smile seemed to tease him. Temari came around and gave him a slap on the back of his head, telling him to stop harassing the kazekage and sat down beside Shikamaru who was laying down on a big flat rock, his arm across his eyes to shade his face from the sun.

Sofia wrapped her arms around her bended knees and observed Aby.

"So?" she asked. Aby turned and raised her eyebrows. "What happened last night?"

Abigail froze. To be honest, she had wanted to run to her, last night, and tell her everything. But was it ok to tell? Since this morning, Gaara had not spared a moment for her, except a smile or two; which was enough for her to confirm that it wasn't just a dream. Moreover, everything happened so fast; she wasn't even sure what they were … were they a couple now?

They had not even talked about it on their way back the night before; She just held on tightly to him as they traveled back, using his chakra infused sand. Only when they landed in front of the front gate that she inquired, confused, about the fact that they were supposed to be "sneaking". He laughed and told her not to worry about it anymore.

Her eyes turned to Gaara once more, wondering if she could tell her friend. He was still being teased by his brother, which made her wonder if his siblings already knew what happened. She reddened at the thought. Sofia cleared her throat; still waiting for an answer.

"N-Nothing ..." she managed to whisper.

"Aby, come on. Are you guys a thing now? Or what?"

Aby choked. "... I don't know," she admitted, embarrassed.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Sofia exclaimed, surprised; which attracted Gaara's attention for a brief moment.

"Shhhh! We didn't do anything, ok? We just … he took me somewhere to cheer me up, that's it!"

"Oh … so you guys sneaked out so he would cheer you up," Sofia said, nonchalantly. Aby bit her fingernails, nervously.

"Did you guys kiss?" she teased with a smile.

Aby's silence was longer than she meant it to be, which made Sofia look up at her.

"... A little?" Aby shily whispered without looking at her.

Sofia's eyes grew bigger than her sockets. The surprised look on her unsmiling face would have been hilarious if Aby hadn't been so uncomfortable about the whole situation.

She was grateful when Akio cut their conversation short.

"My apologies, I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you more about your position!"  
The rest of the group drew their attention to the Gatekeeper, curious to know what he would teach her.

"To know how to apply your duties you must first know what a Grand Gatekeeper is. I already told you the basics; now, let me tell you the details!"

He placed the book and a few notes in the middle of the gathered group, and rubbed his hands, as if going to tell a campfire story.

"Imagine a country! A country divided by several territories;" Akio traced a large oval in the dirt and divided it into several different size shapes. "Those are, in turn, separated by cities. These cities each have a single door separating them from a superimposed top single layer that covers the whole country … let's call this top layer 'main world'... aka, our world," Akio pointed at himself, Aby, Sofia and the kids. "Each city represents an 'alternate world', like this one!" Akio traced the word 'Naruto' in one of the shapes. "Each territory represents the genre of different creations of writers. For instance, this whole circle here, is the 'genre' or 'type' we are in … I would call this one the 'action' type; or maybe we are in a 'ninja' type, or 'epic'... who knows! As I mentioned before, each city has a door, or a gate … that can only be opened by a special key, a special person; the gatekeeper! But if each city, or world, has a gatekeeper, like a knight, or a guardian, then each territory has some kind of leader."

"A Grand Gatekeeper," said Shikamaru, without looking.

"Precisely!"

"But then, who is the ruler of the country?" asked Sakura.

"Uhm … good question … let's call it a 'king' for now," said Akio.

"Or a queen!" shouted Tori, which made everyone smile.

"Or a queen …" agreed Akio, patting her head. "Each city/world has an anointed gatekeeper, and each territory, a Grand Gatekeeper; which happens to also be a gatekeeper of a particular world. These Grand Gatekeepers," he continued, "Are the protectors of their own realms … therefore have more powers than any of the created characters … After all, these Grand Gatekeepers were created by God himself to watch over the writer's creations! Which means that, perhaps evil forces, demons for instance, might want to mess up these realms."

Aby felt a chill on her back. Wherever God went, demons were bound to follow. She held the cross around her neck, something she hadn't done in a long time. Could she fight demons? She couldn't even fight bad guys from this world at the moment …

She felt something hot on her shoulder. Gaara had nudged her with a cup of hot mixed roots and herbs mixture, freshly poured from his canister. She thanked him and took the fragrant cup with a shy smile. He subtly squeezed her left shoulder and casually sat beside her. This was not unnoticed by Sofia. She gave a quick glance and slightly raised a hand.

"Why did her powers only manifest here? Why not in our world?" she asked.

"That I don't know … either there is no power in our world and it only manifests in this world, or there is power but she has not been awakened yet …"

"Wouldn't you know from the other Grand Gatekeepers or Gatekeepers?" asked Sakura.

"He said he didn't meet them, so he wouldn't know," reminded Sasuke.

A tiny mouse came boldly around to see if he would get lucky and get a snack. Aby offered a small piece of bread, and to her surprise, he swiftly took it and ran back under some rocks. Gaara watched her take another piece of bread and put it in her mouth.

"We, Gatekeepers and writers, are somewhat aware of them from passed down knowledge only … but we have no contact with them. We barely even know other chosen creators and gatekeepers!"

"Well that's stupid!" exclaimed Aby without thinking. Akio looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I … guess it is … I do not know the reason for this secrecy myself …"

Seeing that they were all looking at her, she continued. "Well, it's just … if they … sorry … if WE, Grand Gatekeepers, must protect the "country" and 'our realms', wouldn't it make more sense to know each other and work together?"

"Indeed," Akio answered. "It would …"

"Who said they don't?" blurted out Shikamaru, still lying back on his rock, his face turned their way.

"He said HE didn't know them … it doesn't mean that some of the Gatekeepers and Grand Gatekeepers do not know each other … maybe they are part of some big secret organization ..."

They all nodded in agreement and Akio smiled.

"I guess you have a good point! It is very likely! I'm just not sure why I would be left out."

"You mentioned that Grand Gatekeepers have great power … I don't feel powerful at all … in fact, I'm pretty useless if I'm not near water."

"You are not complete yet! As a guardian, you need some extra tools! Some artifact is supposed to bring your inner power up to the surface, though I don't know what the artifact is. Maybe a staff or something," he said while looking back in the book. "And some are drawn with some kind of companion, like an animal or something."  
Sofia laughed and rolled her eyes, but Abigail smiled at the prospect of having an animal sidekick friend. She didn't really know about the staff though...she didn't really like to carry extra stuff wherever she went; but still, she was now wondering what kind of stuff she could accomplish with a staff. Her mind suddenly went back to a dream she had recently; when she was in the cave. Didn't she have a staff in her hand?

"Maybe your animal sidekick is that mouse you keep on feeding," said Kankuro mockingly.  
The mouse came back a second, and then a third time.

"Are you my animal sidekick?"

"A little small if you want my opinion," mocked Kankuro. "Since when do girls feed mice anyway?!"

"She's weird like that," said Sofia, smiling.

Sasuke offered water to Sakura who observed him.

She chewed one of the bitter nourishing pills she created and perfected within the past few years.

_What was that all about earlier? _She thought. Her stomach was still fluttering. Was it jealousy?! That was jealousy; right? His behavior left her confused.

Sofia distracted her spying as she loudly stretched and yawned.

"Oh boy! It's so darn hot here!"

"This is still considered wind territory," Kankuro said with a smirk. "We'll get in the land of fire shortly, which means a lot of shades."

"We'll also pass by a small waterfall and stream," said Temari, "You can always freshen up then.

"Oh! Awesome!"

"So, where do I find this animal sidekick?" continued Aby, directing her question at the the Gatekeeper.

"I don't know!"

"What does the staff look like?"

"I don't know!"

"That doesn't help much" criticized Gaara.

"For now … but we can still focus on something else; like combat training for instance!" He looked at Gaara with a smile. "You have a similar ability as her. Perhaps you can help her grasp it, understand it, and ultimately, use it more efficiently!"

Sakura stood up and faced them. "Maybe when we are near water," she said. "For now, we can still make good use of this time! Get up, I'll show you some basic one on one combat techniques!"

"I'll help too!" Temari put her fan aside against a rock. "You! Get up! You need to learn how to defend yourself as well!" She said to Sofia with a grin.

"In this heat?!" she complained.

"Not for too long, we need to get a move on soon …" said Shikamaru, still lying down, his hands holding the back of his head; eyes closed. If anything, he didn't look ready to go at all! Regardless, Gaara nodded in agreement.

... 

A few hours passed before they started noticing the sun glowing red behind them, wrapping the clouds with hues of pink, purple and orange. The heat receded slowly as well, making the trip a little more comfortable. They had been climbing a low but steady slope towards the dark green horizon.

If Aby turned back, she would see the sand dunes below that hid Suna, more to the west. Although the sight alone was breathtaking, she preferred the sight right in front of her; the brown-reddish head and long reddish-brown coat, covering the man who was leading them ahead, with two kids chasing each other between her companions.  
His cloak was nicely folded, hanging from a belt around his gourd, while his white and green hat adorned it. She used a hair tie she found in her purse that she placed across her shoulder, and put her hair up in a simple ponytail.

A hand suddenly pushed her from the back and she stumbled forward; she let out a frustrated low growl.

"Five!" Said Temari, mockingly.

"Six" Gaara corrected, to Aby's surprise, without bothering to turn around, albeit being sure he was grinning.

"But at least, you're not falling anymore!" Said Temari.

"You're making progress!" added Sakura.

"This is a boring exercise," complained Abigail.

"It's necessary," said Gaara, turning to face her, at last. "Before you can fight, you need to learn how to stay on your feet." His gentle smile sent a wave of red heat across her cheeks. She wanted to embrace him so bad!

"Yeah but isn't this more accurate during an actual fight?"

"Enemies will not wait for you to be ready; they will often try to ambush you. You need to learn to travel without letting your guards down. Just keep it in the back of your mind, stand solid at all times." said Kankuro.

"Listen to master Kangaroo!" said Sofia who happened to be beside him. He pushed her sideways without looking at her and she fell on all four.

"Hey!"

"That goes for you as well, sweetheart!" he said to her with a grin.

"Okay," Aby answered, distracted. She turned her head where a few more rocks were piled up a few meters away. She thought she saw something slithering there.

Tori noticed her distraction and turned her head towards whatever Aby was looking at, but saw nothing.

"We're almost there," Gaara announced ahead. He pointed straight ahead to the dark sky. Aby looked up and saw a few bright stars starting to break through the horizon. She nudged the children and pointed to the sky while smiling. Toshiko didn't seem interested, but Tori looked up while walking ahead, beaming. She bumped into Sasuke who looked down in surprise. Aby chuckled, and was once again distracted by a moving shadow nearby, and a rubbing sound against dirt.

"Hey, are there any snakes here? Like big ones?"

"There were before I ate them" a snarky voice answered behind the rocks.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20  
**  
Sofia grabbed onto Kankuro to help herself up in a hurry and hid herself behind him. Aby gasped and backed away as well. Everyone turned their attention at once.

Akio, however, smiled with a knowing and excited look. Gaara straightened himself and frowned in surprise.

A small brownish, black with golden glowing crossed pupils eyes, filthy creature came out of the shadowed rocks, head lowered to the ground, raising it once only to sniff the air. His sharp clawed paws moved him slowly towards the group. His messy, tangled hair tail smacked the ground twice as he approached them, almost sideways. The weird catlike creature cautiously came under the moonlight. Wait … a cat or a raccoon? Or a bear? What the hell was that?

Abigail had seen the creature before, but couldn't quite place it, the familiarity was actually driving her crazy … but more importantly;

"Did that thing just talk?"

The creature's head sharply turned towards her and snarled, glaring with its yellow eyes.

"Heyyyy … that thing has a name, brat!"

"The one tail demon racoon!" laughed Akio.

"Oh! Shikaku!" exclaimed Sofia.

Shikamaru hissed at her. "Hey! Shikaku was my father!"

"Shukaku?!" Exclaimed Gaara with a surprised smile.

"Ok, seriously," Sofia said, "What's with all the names sounding the same?!"

"Old friend! What are you doing here?" asked Gaara.

"Hey boy; who is this gal; and the other gal; and those brats? I do not recognize them …"

He carefully approached Toshiko and sniffed him from head to toe and sneezed; which made him laugh.

"You! You are Shukaku?" Aby said in amazement. Why was he so small?

"So the brat knows me, but I do not know her …" he said, ignoring her question.

"They are friends, from another world," answered Gaara, kneeling beside the creature. "How have you been?"

Shukaku grumbled as a response. He approached Abigail carefully.

"You … you are different … you smell different, what are you?"

"She's the same as us!" said Toshiko excitedly.

He turned to him and grinned, showing his scary teeth, amused by the concerned face that Tori was giving him, hiding behind her brother.

"No, you are not," he said. "she has … something … else."

"It is true! Said Akio. "Technically, she is different than us!"

The creature seemed to notice the Gatekeeper for the first time. He turned to him, surprised and glared for a few seconds, before raising an eyebrow.

"And you," he said, confused. He looked between Aby and Akio back and forth. "You are the same, but … different." He turned to Abigail once more, as if obsessed with her, something he was desperately trying to understand. "You, you inspire authority for some reason; which is very surprising and humiliating. Why is it that I have this urge to treat you with respect?! I don't like that."

"I would follow your instinct if I were you!" answered the Gatekeeper with a smile.

"Darn it." he growled.

"Shukaku, what are you doing here?"

The one tailed beast looked at Gaara. "I was just passing by, then I smelled you. I miss that smell," he said to his old jinjuriki, stretching his back as a cat would do. "And thought I would warn you of a possible encounter a few miles away from here."

"What? Who?" asked Temari.

"Four idiots, looking as if they're up to no good. I know this 'coz they look like me when I'm up to no good, BWA HA HA HA!"

Shukaku let out a laughing growl that resonated across the land. Aby was grinning from ear to ear. Sasuke on the other hand, looked serious.

"What did they look like,"

"Huh," he answered annoyed. He yawned, and shook off a cloud of dust. "I don't know … they looked like … stupid?"

"Everybody look stupid to you, old friend," said Gaara affectionately.

"Huh. Well, let's see … one was bald, full of tattoos … I can't remember now. Oh! One had blue eyeliner and kept licking his knife. So disgusting."

Sasuke growled. "The three guys we encountered … the one with the knife managed to poison me."

"Another one was sitting a little away, black hair, with a pink cloth over it, I couldn't place him, but I'm sure I saw him somewhere. He had a familiar scent."

Abigail felt cold sweats on her spine. Was he talking about Chris?

"This last person you described, did he look like he was ok? Did he look like he was in trouble?"

"Not particularly. He seemed upset and wasn't talking to the other three. He was sitting a few meters away."

"Maybe they kidnapped him!" said Aby, suddenly worried.

"Did the guy have a weird key with him?" asked Shikamaru.

Shukaku looked at the man with disdain and rolled his eyes before answering. What? Were humans now forbidden to carry keys? How were they to keep their home safe? He scratched behind his ear where a few gnats escaped. He caught one in flight and swallowed it whole.

"Can't say …" he shrugged, "I didn't stick around. Why are you all so interested?" asked the beast, tilting his head in curiosity and blinking its eyes a few times.

"He could be in danger!" said Abigail in a moment of panic.

"This wasn't my concern. I could've just killed them on the spot, but I preferred to keep going. I was hungry." The bijuu yawned and looked at Tori, grinning. She was still disgusted with the fly he just ate.

She hurried towards Abigail and held her hand, afraid that he would suddenly take her to eat her as well; she did not doubt that she looked more yummy to the weird tanuki, compared to a mere fly.

"It's ok Tori," she smiled. "He's just teasing you. Shukaku is actually a good guy as long as you treat him with respect."

"Ok"

Shukaku walked towards Gaara.

"She smells different," he repeated, "like power … a lot of it … but it seemed trapped in an awkward messy ball wrapped with rubber bands."

"It's a long story, but she discovered she has some special … abilities ...that she has yet to completely awaken, and she is somehow connected to us. We are going to Konoha where more of her friends are; so she can learn to use this power more effectively. I mean to help her as well, as my skills seem to be similar to hers."

"What, she can manipulate sand too?!" asked the tanuki surprised.

"No … water." Aby answered.

Shukaku looked at Gaara with inquisitive eyes … he remained silent for a moment, looked at her and back at him. He suddenly seemed to realize something and grinned.

"You smell different too," he said, while walking away, shaking off the gnats off him. "If you ever need me, I won't stay too far … send me a thought and I'll come to your aid."

Gaara raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That is very kind of you. Thank you old friend."

"Yeah, yeah," Shukaku mumbled under his breath, already a few meters away. "Don't get stuck in the mud … BWA HA HA HA HA"

The group watched the one tailed disappear in the distance and walked on. This time, Aby caught up to Gaara ahead. She looked up to him shyly.

"Is it ok if I walk with you?"

Gaara smiled. "Of course!"

"That was cool just now … Shukaku."

"Was he what you imagined?"

"Oh no … I didn't recognize him right away! This world makes everything look so different; including Shukaku. And I thought … wasn't he supposed to be much bigger?"

"The tailed beasts like to be discreet as they are now roaming free. Only the nine tailed is still inside Naruto, of his own choice. But they could be as big as a mountain if they wanted to."

"Right … I can see why that'd be inconvenient …"

She walked beside him, trying to fight the awkward silence that didn't feel natural.

"Hum … what did he mean by 'don't get stuck in the mud?" she asked perplexed.

Gaara smiled and looked down to his side, where she was.

"I think he was referring to me using sand, and you, using water.

"OH!" Abigail laughed; so Shukaku had a sense of humor!

"Are you tired?"

She crossed her arms tightly while looking down; partly to suffocate the desire to hold his hand, and also to hide the goosebumps running along her arms. She was, yet again, remembering the kiss from last night. _Damn!_ She thought with a smile.

"No, not really. I can still keep going!"

"Yes well, we'll stop soon anyway for the night. How are the children?"

She looked behind and saw Tori and Toshiko, enjoying their piggy back ride on Kankuro and Yashiko.

"They seem fine …"

She was being choked by the affection she felt for him, and couldn't find anything else to say to keep the conversation going.

The group walked on like this, silently, for another hour or so. Toshiko sighed heavily and was mirrored by Tori.

Abigail looked back, waiting for the 'are we there yet?' question that all children are expected to ask.

"I'm hungry," complained Toshiko instead.

"All right, this should be a good place to camp."

Gaara put down his sand gourd and stuff. He raised his hand to recreate his sand "tent" but was interrupted by something bumping into him. He looked down and saw Tori who apologetically looked up to him, seemingly afraid. He looked around in search of Abigail, only to find her a few meters away, sitting on a rock by the edge of the clearing.

They had entered the forest a few minutes ago, officially in the Land of Fire Territory. The path led them to a small clearing where they could hear the rush of water nearby; the waterfall Temari spoke of earlier. Her eyes met Gaara's and she smiled.

"Tori, are you hungry? I have some … I'm not sure what they are, but it's yummy … some kind of nuts I think."

To Aby and Gaara's surprise, she held onto Gaara's Kazekage shirt and stuck to him. She looked at the forest nearby which was pitch dark.

"Tori is afraid of the dark," explained Toshiko. "But not me!" he added proudly. Temari giggled at the cute sight.

"Awwwwww!"

Abigail's heart melted too. She looked behind her at the forest, which was about a meter away from the rock she was sitting on. Still, it was so dark that she couldn't see anything behind the first few rows of trees and bushes.

"It is quite dark in there."

"And she is right to be concerned!" Said Gaara, "you never know when enemies might jump at you!"

She glared at him. "That's not gonna help her getting rid of her fear,"

"She is safe here with me!" he smiled while picking her up, "that warning was meant for you!"

She suddenly straightened up, alert, and looked back at the forest who was unusually quiet, and felt shivers run down her spine.

"Not funny," she said while moving away from the rock, towards the center. Gaara built his tent within 5 seconds with a wave of his hand, while holding on to Tori. She "hoooo!"ed in amazement and clapped excitedly.

"Gaara made magic!"

Sasuke created fire with a single breath, using the fireball jutsu.

Gaara approached Abigail, while the others built their own tents. She watched him come to her, like in slow motion, completely ignored by the rest of the group; except Sofia who was studying her friend's reaction.

"Do you need one?"

Aby was completely out of it. "One what?"

He pointed to the tent he just made, and Aby seemed to wake up at last.

"Oh! I will sleep with Sofia … but thanks!"

"Well … not 'with' me," joked Sofia. "You know … sharing the tent …"

Gaara and Aby looked at her, flustered.

"But uhm … are you sure? That you don't want your own tent?" Sofia asked Abigail, winking.

"Thank you, Sofia, for being so considerate, but I'll be fine, sharing a tent with you!"

"Uhm … then you won't mind helping me put it up right?" she said, disappointed. She just offered her a big piece of juicy meat and she managed to refuse it. That girl …

They put the tent up with Aby's help. Gaara also lent a hand while Toshiko and Tori observed Shikamaru setting dinner across the fire. She might ask next time, she thought, so she could learn how to make a proper fire. Surely they knew how to make one without the use of jutsu. She entered the tent and settled. Sofia stretched and gasped as she remembered the waterfall.

"I'm going to the falls for a swim!"

"Now?! It's too dangerous! It's pitch dark!"

"Our eyes will get accustomed! Come on! A night swim! To freshen up a bit!"

"Can't you wait later? We are about to eat! And don't go alone, wait for me at least!" Sofia snickered.

"It's fine, nothing will happen. Beside 'later' will be the time when you tell me the bedtime story of your kiss with Eyeliner Guy!" she said excitedly. "By the way, that was very stupid, you know?"

"It was … I don't know … it just happened ok? What's so stupid about that anyway? You're the one to talk!"

"Not the kiss, idiot! You could have been alone with him if you had said yes to the tent!"

Aby looked away. "I know … it's just. I don't know … I can't think straight."

"No kidding! That must have been something, that kiss!" she laughed as she was leaving.

"Sofia! Don't!"

But her friend was already gone. She sighed and left the tent to join the group who, for the most part, were already gathered around the fire; a pot was already steaming and the guys, minus Gaara and Sasuke, were singing a song she hadn't heard before; It sounded like an old folklore/army song. Even Sakura sang a few higher notes, complementing the guys.

She went to sit between Akio and Temari, right across from Gaara who seemed lost in thought. Or was he listening to the song? Or maybe a little bit of both? Not surprisingly, she could understand the words. Something about a father shinobi, needing to leave home …

_Son and daughter, do not be distraught,_

_Do not lose hope, or sight of the honor sought._

_For if misfortune, on his life is brought,_

_Look at what the hands of this great shinobi have wrought._

_Honor and glory to your family,_

_His name will forever be._

Abigail raised her eyes to meet Gaara's, before Kankuro nudged her.

"Where's your friend? Is she not hungry?"

"I bet she is … she won't be long, she went to the falls to …"

Kankuro interrupted her by getting up to his feet, shaking his head in frustration, and disappeared in the dark forest.

"She should not have gone alone," said Sakura disapprovingly.

"Tell that to her! I already tried to stop her but …"

"You should have told us right away," Gaara said accusingly.

Aby looked up to him in surprise, while he seemed to glare at her, unless that was her imagination. She felt very stupid.

"I guess I should've. I'm sorry …"

"You guys are not even from here!" Sasuke added. "The creatures you might not know of are not the only things you have to worry about! There are three men on the loose and we don't know where they are!"

"Four" corrected Gaara.

Abigail felt attacked, and shamed, but the last statement made her cringe.

"Don't count him in."

"Don't count him out." he replied instantly.

"WELL!" Akio exclaimed, to bring the tension down. You are all right, it was a mistake that I'm sure she learned! It is not like she doesn't care about her dear friend! Everyone has … distractions … that makes them lose sight of certain things …"

Everyone looked down, feeling the Gatekeeper's words sink in. Gaara looked away and Aby sighed.

"I know you are right about Sofia … I'm sorry. She made it sound like she was in no danger, but I should've known better." She looked at Gaara defiantly.

"But I don't want to believe that Chris is a bad guy here. I don't see how he could be! He owns a store of handmade luggage and other stuff! His mother owns a spring! He is from my world!"

Gaara looked her straight in the eyes and breathed deeply, as if to contain words he would regret saying.

"But miss Abigail," Yashiko started softly, "with all due respect, you are known to be … a little naive,"

Gaara chuckled loudly, which was not unnoticed by anyone, especially Abigail. She felt anger at his, once more, sudden change of moods. However, she took a deep breath.

"I believe I did something that made him upset, which is also something I am known for …" she emphasized while looking at Gaara who returned the gaze. "I don't know what happened to the key! I don't know if it is a coincidence, if someone tried to frame him or if he just …" She was looking for words without choking. "Can't we just not accuse him before getting the facts first?"

Gaara stood up and walked impatiently to his tent. She felt a pinch in her heart. She knew he didn't like him, but why was he so upset with her? He seemed to accuse her of neglect with Sofia and it escalated from there to turn into a completely different matter. Temari nudged her.

"Ahhh don't worry about it! He just went full on 'General Gaara' on you. That's his job. When something is wrong, he will not coat it with honey." She then whispered in her ear. "He still likes you!"

"As for Sofia, we haven't heard any screams yet!" laughed Sakura. "Kankuro must have reached her by now! As long as he's with her, she'll be ok!"

* * *

Sofia found the falls to be more like a heavy stream of water, running down into a cute very large water hole; postcard worthy! Whoever the creator of this world was, had a very good scenery imagination. The moon was big and full above, giving enough light for her to see her surroundings. She let the flow of water run down her head for a few seconds; she felt the 'massage' on her head was very nice. She moved forward and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds that the forest had to offer at night. It was soothing. Crickets, owls, the water ... And the guy that was watching her.

She grinned.

She didn't hear him coming at all … she didn't hear him even now. A true ninja! She just knew he was there; a change in the atmosphere, the change in the sounds of the creatures. She smiled because his presence wasn't threatening. She thought she had an idea who it was, but not 100% sure.

"Came to enjoy the view?" she asked out loud.

"No," answered Kankuro, "just waiting for my turn," he added with a smile.

Sofia snickered. "And yet, you've been waiting for five minutes, right there, with a full view of the water hole."

Sofia stood up, and walked towards him, or rather, towards the tree branch where she left her clothes; completely unashamed of her exposed naked body. She expected a flustered reaction from him, looking forward to teasing him, but was surprised by his composed behavior. He stared her down for a second and smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

"All right … I came for the view," he started, without losing his cool.

_Ohhh he's good! _She thought.

"So? Is the view nice?" she asked while draining the excess water from her long teal hair with her hands; although they now looked more like deep blue, against her pale skin. She was quite beautiful.

"The best I've seen so far," he said without losing a beat.

She slightly reddened but shook it off with a smile. She grabbed her shirt that was two inches away from his face, without breaking eye contact. There wasn't an inch of embarrassment on his face which confused her.

"You should not go anywhere alone by yourself, especially at night." he added, looking serious. "Even shinobis usually have a partner."

"Then come with me next time," she said teasingly while pulling up her Suna pants. "You can protect me!"

He stared her down again and moved even closer. She started to feel uncomfortable, self conscious that he didn't react the way she expected; she didn't move back though, she didn't want to show her discomfort.

"What makes you think I'm a good guy?" he said seriously. She remained silent for a second and chuckled.

"Because you are on the good side of the story. Nice try, you don't scare me … but you know, if you want a go …"

She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck and shoved her hard against a tree. Within a second, he had her uncomfortably pinned, his knee right on her pelvis holding her right hand above her head. Her eyes opened wide at the unexpected turn of events.

"You just come here at night," he whispered, "completely oblivious of your surroundings, show up in front of me, completely naked, and blindly trust me, a man, just because I'm on "the good side" of the story? Are you stupid?"

"You're hurting me."

"I'm a man, sweetheart and I'm wired like one too! To trust me or anyone blindly is very unwise!"

Sofia, for the first time, was scared. She tried to move but was pinned against that tree. Her free hand tried to push him back but he didn't move a muscle. The realization that he was much stronger than she thought gave her cold sweat. His face was so close that she could feel his breath on her's. He forced her to look him in the eye, grabbing her chin hard.

"What if I want you now?"

She remained silent with confusion, but it quickly changed to fear when he swirled her around, facing the tree. Somehow, he grabbed both of her hands and held them in her back with his right hand, the other one covering her mouth. He was pinning her so hard that she could hardly breathe. Her vision blurred with tears but was too paralyzed to make any sounds. She was scared, shocked, confu`sed; she didn't understand why he suddenly changed. It's like he became another person. Or was it? She didn't know him that well, now that she thought about it. She didn't know who his character was … but wouldn't Aby tell her to warn her? To her shock, a third hand slid down in her pants and squeezed her thigh, hard, a puppet hand. She felt freaked and even more scared.

"Well, you did suggest that I could have a go, right?"

This time, she let out a squeak, as that was the only sound that could come out.

"Oh look! The bunny! Now I understand what you meant by people who see it from behind can be happy too!"

He felt the warm tears run down his hand and she managed to let out another squeal.

"What's that? You don't want to?"

She let out another sob as her body shook uncontrollably. To her surprise, he let go of her completely. She took in a deep breath, swirled around and looked into his eyes, still paralyzed and even more confused. He backed away slowly, his behavior turned back to the old one. He grabbed an apple from his pocket and chewed off a bite.

"Itch a good thing I'm not a bad guy," he said while chewing.

He backed away two more steps and turned around and walked back towards the clearing, a few meters away, as if nothing happened. The light from the campfire could be slightly seen in the distance; but the path in between was still pretty dark. She watched him go, puzzled, paralyzed. She was slowly realizing what he just did and why. She looked around and couldn't help but see her surroundings in a different way. She was not safe. This place was not safe.

"Come on, hurry up and let's get back. I'm hungry!"

She sobbed some more, quietly, still shaken and ashamed and slowly followed him from a distance.

* * *

Abigail was handing another piece of cooked rabbit to Tori while using her other hand that Toshiko was wrestling with. She lost her smile when she saw Kankuro coming in the clearing. He looked totally normal, Sofia however, had her head down and walked as stiff as a tree. She saw her go straight into the tent, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She looked back at Kankuro to ask if something happened but he had already disappeared.

"Hey Toshiko, here," she said, handing over the cooked meat. She walked over to the tent.

Sakura watched Sasuke stirring the fire to keep it going. She sat down beside him.

"So, how's it going?"

"All right"

"Your head? Do you remember more stuff now?"

Sasuke froze for a second, looking for words.

"I'm fine … for the most part I think."

_What does that even mean?! Does he remember or not?! _she thought impatiently. She glanced at his hand, his arm leaning across his knee.

"Ok, that's good!"

She had no idea what to say. She was sure that was jealousy, earlier this morning. Did he remember but didn't want to bring it up? Why not?

She was looking for a sign, anything! But he wouldn't show any. She grabbed a cup from her bag and poured water in it; offered it to him. When he declined the offer, she drank from it. She felt agitated and anxious.

_Damn it! You can't just kiss me and then pretend nothing happened! You can't do that to me!_

She looked around where everybody seemed busy with stuff. She looked at his hand again and suddenly laced her fingers with his. He removed his hand back so fast that she jumped in surprise. The kids looked at him, perplexed. He watched her, puzzled, then stood up and walked away.  
She watched him go, eyes tearing up. She furiously and quickly dried them and stood up to follow him.

_I've had enough! You don't get to run away this time!_

* * *

Sasuke kicked pebbles on his way to … nowhere really. He just walked on, his head full of questions. He stopped and paced back and forth. He knew this would happen. Of course it would happen! Now what?

"SASUKE!"

Sakura's voice rose behind him and he grimaced; she seemed angry. He couldn't get away from this one.

"We need to talk!"

"Uhg … I know …"

"You know?! What .. .What is going on?"

"Ok, look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to …"

"To what? Move your hand away?"

"No … the kiss …"

She gasped and stepped back.

"So you DO remember! So why? What was that talk about 'you didn't know how to tell me'?"

"Look, I wasn't myself back then, right? I didn't know what I was doing! I didn't even know what I was saying!"

She looked at him and the anger in her face was gone; disappointment replaced it. He looked away, finding the silence very awkward. But what else did he expect?

"You can't say that," she said. "You know how I feel about you. Everybody KNOW how I feel about you! You can't just … do things and say things … and take them back as if it was nothing!"

"Sakura. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be like that, ok?"

"..."

"Listen. I … I can't return your feelings. I don't …" He didn't want to finish the sentence. She should know by now. "Sakura, I don't feel this way towards you." He looked up to meet her eyes. This was harder to do than he anticipated. With her anyway.

His chest squeezed when he saw her face. Her eyes were filled with tears and silently blinked out, running down her cheeks.

That was the conversation that should have happened years ago. That was the confirmation that she didn't want to face. She forced a smile, nodded and walked back to the camp. Sasuke couldn't move for several minutes. He finally sat down on the ground and digested what just happened.

* * *

Sofia was lying down, while silent tears kept on running. She tried to calm down, but was not able to. She felt so embarrassed and ashamed. This was not only applicable in this world … but in her's as well. She had been so naive for so long; not taking things seriously. She had to be slapped in the face by a manga character to finally wake up. Things could have gone wrong so many times.

Abigail looked down as she entered the tent.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing,"

"Bullshit,"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Just tell me if something happened, you don't have to go in detail …"

Sofia shrugged. "It's Kangar … Kankuro."

"What about him? Did he say something to upset y—" she started, but saw her right wrist with a slight bluish color.

Sofia sat down slowly and massaged her thigh and looked up to her friend. She was about to answer that he didn't but she saw a horrific expression on Abigail that she never saw before.

"What the ..." Aby murmured, backing off. She turned to exit the tent in a fury, leaving Sofia in a daze. She remained seated for a minute before realizing what her friend was thinking. Her eyes grew.

"Oh no!"

She got up as fast as she could and followed after Abigail, trying to ignore her sore body.

Aby was furious. She let herself in Kankuro's tent, ready to beat the crap out of him; but he wasn't there. She left with an aura that terrified everyone who looked at her.

"Where's Kankuro?!" she yelled at no one in particular.

"I think he's with Gaara …" Shikamaru pointed to the sand tent. She flew there within a heartbeat, boiling inside.

Whatever conversation they were having, they were interrupted by her sudden intrusion. Gaara was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, puzzled by the uninvited interruption. Kankuro was still in mid sentence when he looked at her face. She had fire in her eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"What?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB! HOW DARE YOU!"

"HEY! I didn't do anything!"

Gaara watched his brother and Aby, completely lost. "Kankuro, what's going on?"

"YOU'RE FREAKING DEAD, YOU HEAR ME?!" She threw herself at him and started punching blindly at his face, which of course, missed every single time. The sight would have been really funny if she didn't look so upset. Gaara jumped in to stop her.

"Wooooo! Hang on! Calm down!"

"LET ME … LET GO!" She was kicking and crying, frustrated that she couldn't land a single hit on him, and even more furious that Gaara was trying to stop her.

"She is my friend! How can you … what are you?! How could you do that?!"

"KANKURO! WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT!"

"Well … I think she is misunderstanding something …"

"HE RAPED HER! HE FUCKING RAPED HER!"

Gaara let go in a moment of puzzlement and her fist reached Kankuro's face right on the nose. She let out a satisfied victory/pain cry, but it was short lived as the Kankuro in front of her disintegrated into a pile of sand.

"Huh … no I didn't,"

She spun around so fast, her hair slapped her face; again. Kankuro was leaning against a 'sandtable', arms crossed, as calm as ever. She yelled in outrage, feeling her knuckles throb with pain.

"Ok, Aby, calm down! As he says, maybe you are misunderstanding something …"

"ABY?"

All three looked at the entrance of the door where Sofia entered, breathless. Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose, to relieve the pressure.

"I need to teach you girls how to enter a Kage's headquarters properly …" he mumbled.

"Aby, I'm sorry, you misunderstood, he didn't do anything to me … I mean … He did but … not what you think." Sofia glanced towards him and blushed. She looked back at Aby with sad eyes.

"He just … he tried to make me see something. He was just trying to make me understand ... He didn't do anything wrong, I promise!"

"Ohhhh and I suppose he could only make you understand by beating you up?"

Gaara noticed the bruises on Sofia's hands, and looked up to him, disapprovingly.

"Brother, what the hell did you do?!"

"He didn't beat me up … he just … used force."

Aby looked at Sofia with anger. "You don't need to bruise someone to make them realize something!"

"I believe it was needed in my case," she said quietly, her head down. Aby looked between Kankuro and Gaara.

"I might have been overdoing it a little … I'm sorry." Kankuro lowered his head apologetically.

"I can behead him for his transgression if you wish," Gaara added, in the most casual tone, which slightly amused his brother who smirked, his head still low.

Sofia smiled without looking at them and left the tent. Abigail glared at both men. Gaara observed her. "Let's go to the waterfalls," he ordered.

"What, now?" she said unimpressed. She was still angry.

"Yes,"

"Why?"

"Because you're angry … good opportunity for training."

* * *

The sound of the falls, the bright moon above them, the stars which would usually bright up her mood, did nothing to help. She had followed him silently, calmer, but still pissed. She didn't quite know why she couldn't calm down; Sofia clearly explained the situation and even defended Kankuro's behavior, despite being upset. Kankuro also apologized, so did Gaara on behalf of his brother, although it didn't seem very serious. She didn't know if it was a normal thing for them or not. Maybe she was upset that Gaara didn't side with her right away. She was, deep down, expecting him to take the matter more seriously; his brother hurt her friend and in her world, that would have been a serious thing ... In her world.

She sighed. She wasn't in her world. Things were different here.

"Here we are," he said, needlessly.

"I can see,"

He pointed to the water. "That thing you did to me the first time we met. Do it again."

"You want to be in it?" she snarled. Gaara only smiled.

"No … I wish to remain alive during the training,"

She rolled her eyes and raised her hand as she did before. A wave of water twirled round into a ball and rose above the water. She grabbed a hand size rock and threw it in, before looking back to Gaara for instruction.

"Why are you looking at me? Destroy it!"

"How? I can't do that!"

He sighed and stepped closer. "Rule #2, I don't ever want to hear 'I can't'; doubting, even for a second, will kill you … beside, you can't decide the outcome until you try,"

She sighed impatiently and made up the fist. Expectedly, the rock stayed intact. Her breathing became deeper as she lost patience.

"Calm down,"

"I thought you said anger was the perfect opportunity! Well I'm angry! What do you want from me?!"

"Yes, It's an opportunity for you to learn to forget about emotion and focus on the task at hand … you won't go anywhere by being angry … quite the opposite, you'll drown in your own emotional state."

She laughed.

"I can't destroy it with water! I can only choke or drown."

"I said I don't want to hear I c …"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAID, THIS IS MY ABILITY! I KNOW MY LIMITS!"

Gaara suddenly walked to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, lowered himself to eye level and waited until she finally gave in and looked in his eyes.

"Calm. Down." he said.

Somehow his eyes calmed her. She nodded with a deep breath and a tear of anger leaked through.

"I just don't understand how water can destroy a rock."

"Pressure can destroy anything,"

"Ok fine, if you say so; but the water can only pressurize as far as my fist can go …"

"That's because your mind is limited by physics … you 'think' you can only manipulate the water as far as your hand can reach … but your hand is not what manipulates the water … your mind is. Your hand helps, but your mind does the job."

She let the words sink in and turned to the water. She started the process again and again. Her arm started to cramp after a while. Gaara walked behind her as she rotated her shoulder to get some relief. He ran his fingers at the base of her neck and whispered in her ear.

"You're still agitated. Take deep breaths, close your eyes." Her heart told her that his presence behind her would do anything but calm her down, yet, she closed her eyes.

"You hear that? The water flowing down? That's your domain. Move it with your mind."

She opened her eyes and raised her hand again. She clenched her fist hard, but Gaara reached out for it.

"Relax your hand … I told you … your hands help, but they are tools. Use your mind. Talk to the water. Command it."

She saw the rock and water completely immobile. Her arm was getting tired and shaky, but she tried to hold on.

"Do you feel the rock somehow? Or the water working on it?"

"I'm not sure … not really …" the water bubble and rock fell back into the ponds as her hand gave up; She suddenly felt very weak.

"Ok, that's enough for now," he said. "It's draining, but you're making progress." She turned to face him.

"How? The rock didn't get as much as a scratch!"

"You're missing the connection. Once you can feel the water with your mind, you'll click, and it will be easier."

"If you say so," She sat down on a rock nearby and he sat beside her, on a log.

"My brother … I apologize on his behalf." he said, unsure if it was a wise decision to bring up the cause of the earlier chaos once more.

"You already did,"

"Yes, but I just wanted to say; we do not know how you do things where you are from; but here … I believe he only wanted to make her understand the danger she could have been in."

"I don't even know what happened," she admitted.

"He told me earlier that she, well, she was kind of … towards him …"

"Say no more," she waved him off with a laugh as he was struggling to find the words. "I know she can be carefree but she's not 'THAT' girl. I think she is trying to, maybe, confirm to herself that she is still attractive, or lovable … something like that. She's like this when she breaks up with a guy."

"Sounds to me like she is trying to cover the sadness in her heart," he said, pensive. "I used to do that,"

Dirt lifted off the ground and formed a heart that cracked in different places.

"You flirted with other girls?"

"No … I killed people …"

"Oh," she dismissed the last statement and waved her hand to bring some water to fill the cracks in the dirt heart.

"I think it's a natural response to want to fill the holes …"

The water ended up leaking through the dirt and the heart dropped on the ground with a 'splat', as a big pile of mud.

They stared at it a moment, before Gaara turned away and snickered.

Aby gasped. "Did you just laugh?"

"No," he said, still looking away and covering his mouth.

"You did!" She watched in shock as his body shook uncontrollably, trying to contain the laughter. However, one look at her and he lost it.

Aby watched his body shake as he roared with laughter, tears in his eyes. He kept looking at the mud and couldn't speak the words; he held his hand on his belly; trying to breathe.

"The heart! It just ... You tried to fill it … but … the water … that was so bad!"

She couldn't believe the sight of him laughing! She started to surrender to the contagious sound.

"Stop laughing at me! You ought to cut me some loose here … I'm still a novice!"

"I'm sor … I'm sorry!" Clearly he wasn't; as he fell backwards from his sitting position, moving his arms around in an attempt to keep him balanced on the log, in vain. He was still laughing. He finally calmed down and took a few breaths. She offered him a hand and helped him back up, while wondering how often he would laugh like that. He gave a big smile, with eyes sparkling like two emeralds.

"I don't think I ever heard you laugh before …" she said smiling.

He stared and wondered for a few seconds. "I don't remember either …"

He stretched his head towards her and kissed her.

If she ever wondered, the answer was confirmed right then; that kiss, he longed for it too.

_Finally!_ she thought.

As if reading her mind, he switched positions and kissed her again. The only thing that could be heard was the rush of the waterfalls and the wind picking up between the leaves. One would never have realized there were more people nearby, as they were pretty quiet; presumably getting ready to sleep as the night grew darker, the moon being the only source of light. They truly felt in their own world.

They would gaze at each other once in a while before kissing some more. It was soft, delicious and euphoric. Gaara ran both hands in her hair and neck; hers were laced around his neck, but loosened them and ran them down his chest. He was quite slim, but the muscles were toned; she could feel them flexing with each movement he made, which excited her. She looked for a way through his red burgundy shirt. She wanted to feel his skin, and without thinking, created a reaction within Gaara. He mirrored her by sliding one of his hands down her arm, and found a way back up under her shirt. His mouth put more pressure on hers, and he used a finger to outline her breast which was still covered by her undergarment. Abigail responded with euphoria. Their tongues were already at work, but it wasn't enough anymore. He pulled her body against his, short of breath and she started to feel dizzy as she realized that she wasn't breathing. His touch, that was gentle until now, became more and more gripping. When she finally reached the skin within his shirt, she started to lose her senses. She pressed firmly against him and the contact was still not enough. She started to realize what was going on, she opened her eyes and pushed back in fear.

Gaara watched her, in surprise. She was crossing her arms, looking confused. His eyes opened wide.

"I'm … I'm sorry," he said, catching his breath. "Aby, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't even realize!"

She shook her head and raised her hand apologetically.

"No! No, it's me … you did nothing wrong! I started it without realizing. I just ... I felt … damn, it felt …"

"... it felt good ..." he said quietly.

She nodded. "… and I got scared. I'm sorry."

He stood up and shook himself up a little. "Wow …"

"Yeah …"

"That escalated quickly!" he nervously laughed and she smiled. He wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved; this was not how they did things here. What was wrong with him?! He offered his hand.

"Let's go back,"

"Uhm, ok."

They walked back a few meters and entered the clearing, which was still lit by the fire. Everyone seemed to be already in their tent, except Sasuke who glanced towards them. He saw them holding hands and stared at them, shocked.

She didn't want to let go; but wondered how Gaara would be affected. He didn't let go either. Instead, he led her to sit by the fire, both shared a crimson color on their cheeks. She looked at Sasuke, who was obviously preoccupied by something else.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Uhm … not really."

Gaara gave him an inquisitive look. "Where is Sakura?"

"Sleeping, I think."

"Did something happen?" she asked again, sure that something was going on, despite his answer. His reply did not surprise her.

"Nothing that concerns anybody. Don't worry about it. So you guys are a thing now?"

Gaara kissed the back of her hand and let go of it. "Nothing that concerns you either," he said, while breaking a few twigs and throwing them into the fire. "You can go to sleep if you wish, I'll stand watch first"

"It's fine, I'm not sleepy yet." Sasuke said.

Gaara turned to Abigail and smiled affectionately.

"You should go to sleep. We have another day of walking tomorrow. We'll be in Konoha Village on the third day."

"Ok," she said. She looked at Sasuke, knowing something was wrong, but knowing his character, nothing she could say would help. She just put a hand on his shoulder, which surprised him.

"Good night guys,"

" 'Night," they said in unison.

Gaara watched her leave and enter the tent she shared with Sofia, and sighed. Sasuke looked at him and smirked.

"Forgive my intrusion in your personal life, Lord Kazekage, but … the girl from another world?"

He just stared at the tent in response with a faint smile.

"I guess, we don't have control over our heart."

Sasuke stirred the burning wood some more, in a daze. He remembered Sakura walking away and her face haunted him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The sun was high, which indicated that it must have been around noon. Aby was happy and she was humming to herself, under Sofia's gaze. She was disappointed that Sofia was already sleeping when she entered the tent the previous night; She wanted to tell her everything. But even in the morning, Sofia was not smiling. She was not as upset, but wasn't herself. She had asked her what happened. "_I'll tell you some other time," _she said with a smile. Sofia was now looking at her and smirked.

"Did you guys kiss again?" she asked.

Aby looked at her with a shy smile and held her hands.

"I'll tell you some other times," she answered teasingly, with sparkling eyes.

"Ohhhh my … could it be? Did it go … further than kissing?!"

"No! No, it didn' t …" she blushed, which confused her friend.

"Aby … I'm happy for you but …" she whispered, "you know we have to go back, right?"

She sighed impatiently. Why was everybody telling her that!

"Yes! Yes! I know!"

She stopped walking and faced Abigail.

"Aby … don't go too far, I know you! Don't dive too deep, or you won't be able to come back up!"

"What does that even mean?!"

"I don't want you to get hurt!"

"You're the one to talk!"

She regretted her words instantly. Sofia was just trying to watch out for her. Her friend nodded sadly and let go of her hand, but kept walking by her side.

"Sofia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"No, you're right, but in my defense, I can take it … can you?"

Abigail watched Gaara from behind; he was leading the group, as usual. Toshiko and Tori ran passed her and in front of him, chasing each other with mud on their fingers.

For the first time, Sofia touched a nerve she didn't want to feel. She pictured herself and her friends going through the gate … leaving this world behind, including Gaara; and she felt pain.

"..."

Sofia squeezed Aby in a tight quick hug and walked on.

A few rain clouds passed by, letting a few droplets fall on them, occasionally. The forest was quite charming during day time, even when it was raining. Aby saw birds and flowers of all colors, all perfect, as expected, hiding withing the branches of the trees.

She walked by the writer who was whistling.

"How was your training last night?" he asked. She blushed, to his surprise. "You DID train, did you not?" he asked with accusation.

"Yes!, what else would we do?" She blushed, thinking about all the possible answers. "Yes, I trained … He said that I was making progress; but I'm not sure about that."

"Well, if he said you did, then it must be true!"

"It's such a beautiful world," she said, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, with beautiful people too!" he smirked in her direction.

"I suppose," she feigned ignorance.

"Nee-san! Tori made cake for you!"

Tori presented her dirt cake with flowers petals all over it. "Oh! Thanks Tori! So beautiful!"

Kankuro stopped in his tracks and shushed them. Gaara did the same, followed by Sasuke. Sakura and Yashiko got their kunais ready.

"What's wr …"

Kankuro shushed Sofia even harder. The shinobis looked around concerned. Gaara backed away cautiously, and stopped beside Aby and Sofia.

"We're being watched."

Aby looked around and listened, but couldn't see or hear anything. Only the wind flew by and wrestled with the leaves and long grass of the forest.

"I don't hear anything," she said.

"Exactly," explained Gaara.

She then realized; she didn't hear "anything"; The forest should have sounds in it; birds, animals, but it was completely quiet. She felt it too … the uneasiness of being watched. The same feeling when she met Gaara the first time. She glanced towards the children who stopped playing, concerned, but were still a few meters away, ahead from the group. She began to call out to them with a quiet voice, to come closer. As they rushed over, Tori was suddenly snatched away by someone who suddenly appeared from under the ground. A feat quite popular in the manga, but still impressive to see in real life! Two more guys stood behind them. Tori yelped and Toshiko ran to her, screaming. Kankuro caught him and restrained him.

"You're no match for that man, little guy!"

The shinobis had no time to plan an attack; one of the guys behind went straight for Abigail and Sofia and the other attacked Gaara. He easily dodged the attack, and Sofia was pushed aside by Abigail, who reacted by sheer instinct. The two girls ended up rolling on the ground, covering their bodies with scratches and bruises.

"STAY DOWN!"

Aby wasn't sure where or who the voice came from; the commotion was too confusing. She and Sofia held onto each other, staying low, and were joined by Toshiko.

Next was a chaos of dust, sand, wind and shouts. Everything was too fast for Aby to comprehend what was going on. She only knew they were in trouble; but why? Why were they attacked? Gaara was not joking when he said the enemy would use ambush as a technique of attack; it was very efficient!

She was blinded by all the dirt and dust from the ground. The sounds of flying and clinking kunais surrounded them. They were too afraid and shocked to scream and didn't know where to look. Everything was chaotic; a big mess of flying people and clothing.

Amidst the dust and confusing roar of metal against metal and body against body, Aby caught a glimpse of red and pink fighting a flying white and blue clothing, throwing series of punches and kicks against one another. Meddling in between, a clear glimpse of Sasuke and his spinning and swirling sword; she then saw a bright flash, followed by a blazing heat and a very loud chirping sound,

"CHIDORIIII!"

A red figure with a long red coat jumped out in front, twisting his body in a cloud of dust that was swirling in an unnatural way. Her eyes focused on it.

Gaara's fighting was unbelievable. The first time was impressive and scary enough as it was, the second time, he mainly avoided blows; this time, she watched in amazement at the speed he was attacking and counter-attacking, the exchange of blows were obviously more challenging then the previous fight she saw. The sand kept changing shape, as if it was alive. More impressive was how all shinobis were focused and seemingly in control amidst the chaos; none were in each other's way. It's as if they had choreographed the whole thing!

A strong wind suddenly appeared and sand was blown in her, Toshiko and Sofia's eyes … Temari was standing further away, her fan wide open, in a fighting stance; she had just overthrown one of the guys.

Abigail's upper body suddenly moved backwards on its own; Before she could understand what was happening, she saw a flash of metal pass an inch away right above her face; where it came from, was only her guess. Her body was stuck for a second and then released. She saw a man right behind her, dodging the kunai that struck a tree behind them. By the time she realized that the kunai was meant to disable the man who was out to strike them, he was already back in another fight, helping his buddy out. She realized a few seconds later that Shikamaru had thrown the kunai at the guy behind her, but seeing that she was in the way, he used his shadow possession jutsu to move her out of the way.

She heard Tori cry out and then, the chaos stopped. When she looked up, Tori had a kunai at her throat and was crying. Kankuro, somehow, was shielding the three of them from one of the guys, Gaara had a sand pike at Tori's assailant's throat and the rest of the shinobi were lined up, either facing him or the other, ready to strike.

Akio, Aby noticed, was nowhere to be found. Was he hiding? More importantly, where was the third guy?

As if to answer the question, a sharp object slightly poked her skin in her back. She instinctively raised her hands to show submission and the man laughed.

"Abigail! Don't move!" Sasuke yelled.

"Touch her and he dies!" Threatened Gaara, his knife on the tall guy's throat, still holding Tori.

The man chuckled, unafraid. "Kill him and SHE dies!" The man pointed to Tori with his chin. He dragged Abigail away and all eyes followed them, calculating a way to stop him.

"ABIGAIL!" cried Sofia, feeling helpless.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you need to come with us."

Temari growled, her opened fan spread across her back, ready to strike, but struggling to keep standing. It was Shikamaru, beside her, who spoke.

"Why do you need her?"

"That doesn't concern you!"

"IT CONCERNS ME!" Growled Gaara angrily. "LET HER GO OR HE DIES! LAST CHANCE!" he warned, struggling to keep his voice calm. The man laughed without a care.

"Lord Kazekage," warned Sasuke, "that's the guy with the poisonous blade …"

Aby felt the adrenaline rush through her, if she was confident in her abilities, she would have used water to get away, but she wasn't, and she was paralyzed with fear, for herself and Tori.

_To be fair_, she thought, _I don't need to move … just a distraction …_

She closed her eyes and tried to summon water with her mind. She flexed her fingers a little, and hoped it would work. It was like back at the cleft, summoning water without knowing where it was …

She anxiously waited, thinking it wasn't working, but the man holding Tori gasped.

"Yuuta! Behind you!"

The man holding Abigail looked back and saw tiny little water bubbles floating above the ground.

She hoped to see her friends grab the opportunity and strike, but instead, a small creature jumped out of the bushes, roaring; and landed at the throat of the man named Yuuta. He screeched and let go of Abigail, twisting and turning round and round, pulling at the creature's tail.

Gaara had summoned Shukaku somehow and planned to wait for the confusion to strike at his opponent who was holding Tori. However, the tall man was quicker than anticipated and slit part of Tori's throat, interrupted by Gaara who grabbed the blade with his bare hands and fell backwards, under the man's weight.

Aby saw Tori falling to the ground as if in slow motion.

The little girl's eyes grew big with terror. She held her neck where blood was pouring out.

Aby couldn't make a sound, but the boy did. The scream was a howl of despair. Tori convulsed on the ground, with tears and fear in her eyes.

Aby, like in a nightmare, couldn't look away. She felt an arm grab her and didn't have any strength or will to resist. Her legs gave in, her whole body shut down. She saw Toshiko run to his little sister, crying and yelling out her name.

Sakura quickly followed and fell beside the girl, dropped her weapons and hovered her hands over the tiny neck without wasting time. Sasuke protected her from the guy who was fighting him and Gaara alternately.

Temari screamed in Aby's direction, but Aby didn't hear anything. She only saw her lips moving. Her eyes became hazy. Her brain replayed Tori's throat being slit over and over again, like a nightmare, and she couldn't breathe.

Gaara fell on the ground again, holding the side of his rib cage, as Sasuke kept fighting the tall man. He struggled to get up, trying to comprehend why the sudden pain. He got up and fought, but soon started to feel an obstruction in his movement. His chest became sore, and every move became more painful with every second.

He took a second look to his side, and was surprised to see a kunai, lodged in his body. The realization made his body wake up with excruciating pain. How? When? He was used to his sand blocking any attack, so much so that he had taken it for granted until now. Somehow, this guy found a way in?

He took a deep breath and looked around. His eyes locked on Aby, being dragged away; her eyes were empty. His body found a new strength; he stood up and ran with difficulty, dragging his feet, towards Abigail who was being taken away.

Temari started to follow, but fell on her knee. Aby watched Shikamaru kneeling beside her and telling her something, with a concerned face.

Yashiko and Kankuro came into view, seemingly trying to reach Aby, but cut short by the third guy. Aby's assailant was surprised by Akio who resurfaced from his hiding spot and hit the man's head with a rock. Yuuta dropped Aby, long enough for Gaara to jump over her and wrestle with the man who was still up, but slowed down by the head injury. Aby looked up in a daze, seeing Gaara and the man fight. Gaara growled in pain a few times, slipped, but always jumped back up. To his surprise, the man's poisonous knife cut him a few times, but the adrenaline kept him moving, somehow being able to dodge blows on vital parts and counter attack. His sand was back, blocking most of the blows, but failing in some instances.

Abigail brought her fingers to the wet fluid she felt on her cheek; it was blood. She took a moment to realize that it was Gaara's. He was wounded on the side of his chest and he couldn't help but raise his hand to it.

As he was losing strength and speed from his injuries, he was pushed to the ground by the man who raised a knife and aimed at Gaara's chest. Shukaku reappeared once more, attacking the man by the neck. Yuuta roared in frustration and held the demon by its tail, which enraged the tanuki. He bit his nose off and spit it out, blood running down its jaw. Out of nowhere, a hawk came down and went straight to the man's left eye. He fell from the pain and screeched, before being completely covered with sand and blown into bits by Gaara's sand coffin jutsu. At the same moment, Kankuro's puppets sliced open his opponent's chest as Yashiko planted the man's own kunai in his right temple. The blood instantly splattered onto both shinobis who didn't flinch.

Two down; one to go.

Aby watched Sasuke and the slim man facing and circling each other. The man grinned at Sasuke's sword.

"Seems like you guys have the upper hand at the moment. They all turned to him with a disgusted expression on their face, except Sakura, who was still trying to save the little girl's life. She turned towards Gaara and gasped in surprise, unaware until now of his state, she glanced between him and Tori. His eyes half closed, exhausted and still losing blood, he pointed to Tori, as if to say "take care of her first".

"Well, you should thank me, that one'll be one less brat to feed tonight!" continued the man.

Toshiko yelled and ran towards the man who looked down and planned on kicking the boy's life out. However, Sasuke took the moment of diversion to open his opponent's chest with a series of sword strikes. The man fell forward, not knowing what had happened, and breathed his last, a sick and amused smile still on his face.

It took some time for everyone to move at last. Yashiko rushed to Gaara, removed his own shinobi jacket and shaped it into an improvised ball and applied pressure on Gaara's wound. Aby knelt on the ground and watched with empty eyes. The shinobis reached Tori first, safe for Gaara, who was catching his breath, each of them painful. They all bent over Sakura and Tori who lost consciousness. Sakura who kept her cool until now started to lose confidence. She let out a sob, still working at it.

"I can't close the wound … I can't … the blood keeps running out!"

Sofia cried and hugged Aby. She felt numb. The trauma kept playing in her head.

The tanuki walked passed Sakura and hopped on Tori's motionless body. He bent over her pale face and his tongue slowly licked the opened throat. Once he did, the wound was closed and fairly cleaned, and he jumped down and waited.

"That should do it," he said.

Sakura sighed with relief, feeling her work finally working, and her eyes grew with hope.  
It took several minutes, but she finally threw her head back to rest; the girl was still unconscious, but breathing steadily.

Sasuke turned to the body of the man he killed a few minutes before and hissed between his teeth.

"You disgusting piece of shit," he said while the hawk landed on his shoulder. He knelt down to the ground and wrote a note to send to Kakashi.

Aby finally woke from the nightmare, realizing that Tori would live, and cried. She had no strength left in her and fell to the ground. She then turned to Gaara who was still short of breath. He slowly but steadily crawled to her. He obviously saw better days! He put his arms around her.

"Is it over?" she whispered.

"For now," he said, before losing consciousness as well.

* * *

Sakura went around to heal everybody's wounds. She even checked Aby to make sure she was okay, but spent most time with Gaara who had deep wounds and poison in his blood; however, the poison has not been there long enough to make as much damage as it did with Sasuke. Why his sand was not able to keep him from arm was everybody's guess.

Aby stayed in the tent with Sofia, Toshiko and Tori. The two were sleeping, Tori was still unconscious. The wound on her throat was barely noticeable now. She didn't know that the tailed beast had this power to heal serious wounds; or at least, to seal them.

The tanuki had already left, but not before he had a word with Aby.

"They are after you. It is odd. They know you, but I do not know you."

"Thank you for what you did for Tori, and also for helping us."

"The brat will live."

"And I'll make sure she knows you saved her!" smiled Abigail.

"Whatever," he smiled, then went away. "Take care brat, and take care of him too!"

She had a feeling he meant "Gaara".

She wondered how he was and walked out to see him. She was greeted by Kankuro.

"How's your friend?" He asked with a grin.

"She is still unconscious."

"I meant your other friend … she was pretty shaken,"

"She is sleeping. I don't know how anybody can sleep after that."

"You'd be surprised if you tried! The body who is put under such stress and adrenaline needs sleep the most … same for Gaara." he added while looking at her.

He probably meant for her to let him sleep. She smiled back and nodded.

"Don't worry! He's seen worse! He'll be fine!"

"The sand did not protect him. I don't think he's ever been worse …"

He raised an eyebrow. "He died once."

She frowned and then remembered when he was taken by the Akatsuki.

"Oh! That's right!"

He nodded, smiling. She walked away, disappointed she wouldn't see him, and ran the events in her head once more and got anxious.

_How am I supposed to fight? I didn't even know where to look … I was completely useless! _She thought. _There is no way I can fight like them! They have been trained since they were in the crib! There's no way … Me? A guardian?_

She sat by the fire and hugged herself. _They're after me? Why? What do they need from me?_

Did they know she was a gatekeeper?

The night was quiet; as if nothing happened. Yet, things kept on changing; new information, new complications …

New boyfriend … She smiled at the thought … The word "boyfriend" seemed underrated. A Kazekage was not a "boyfriend". Or rather, a "girlfriend" didn't fit for a Kazekage. Her smile was lost at the sudden thought. She didn't "fit" for the title.

She hid her face in her hands.

He almost died today. So did Tori! How much more will they endure because of her?

Sakura came to join her and sat beside her. "May I?" She examined her head once more.

"I'm fine, I was not really hurt, not as you guys were,"

Sakura dropped her hands to her sides and smiled, looking at her.

"What's bothering you?"

Aby explained to her what she was thinking. Sakura listened attentively, without blinking.

"I'm not a soldier, it's not in me."

"Akio-San seems to believe you are; and you do have some cool moves with the water … I saw those bubbles earlier! You did that without even saying anything!"

"Gaara said that it's the mind that controls the ability."

"Maybe for his ability" she laughed, "most of us have to use hand gestures to achieve our jutsus. But of course, that does not apply to you since you are not of this world. But I guess you and him share something similar … I would trust him."

Aby didn't answer.

"You like him," Sakura said.

"Who doesn't like him?" she smiled.

Sakura didn't quite understand why she would think that … Sasuke was much more popular; the reminder of the rejection, earlier, made the lump in her throat resurface, which she shook away.

"But he's in love with you," Sakura said with a reassuring smile. "His siblings were the first to notice, and now it is obvious to all of us!"

Abigail looked up at her with teary eyes.

"I, I don't know what to do." She hid her face with her eyes for a few seconds and cried, which took Sakura by surprise. She then dried up her face with her sleeve.

"He almost died today! He tried to save Tori and then, he tried to save me, and he almost died! They're after me and I can't defend myself; I'm putting everyone in danger!"

"But he's ok now, this is normal for us here. It'll take much more than that to defeat us, let alone the Kazekage!"

"But he can't heal just like that, what if we are attacked again tomorrow?"

"It's very unlikely. Those were the same guys we encountered a few days ago … now they're dead. Besides, it's not like he's alone; we're still here!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

They were all walking at a hurried pace; not that they were concerned or anything, on the contrary, the lack of concern in the shinobis' face told Abigail that they were close to Konoha, and she started to feel the anticipation.

She was tired; she had been tossing and turning that night. The few hours she did sleep were filled with nightmares. She saw Tori dead on the ground, and Gaara beside her, lifeless. She would call out for help, but no sound would come out; the other shinobis did not seem to care, shrugging their shoulders: "this is normal here for us," repeated Sakura. She woke up each time, and had to wipe her eyes.

So there she was, emotionally and physically drained. She looked at Tori who was finally awake but quiet and a little feverish. Kankuro had her on his shoulders. She felt relieved of course, but deeply sorry for the little girl; She couldn't imagine what it must have felt like; to have such deep cut in the throat. Sakura was able to save her, with the help of Shukaku, but still; she had not spoken since or smiled. She must have been traumatized by the whole thing and her throat must have hurt like hell. She glanced towards Sasuke, Yashiko and Shikamaru, who were surrounding Gaara, who was walking slower than usual.

She wanted to go to him so badly; she wanted to talk to him, ask him if he was OK, hold his hand, but even if she knew they shared the same feeling, she thought "_what else can I possibly do?" _He was already surrounded by strong shinobis. She had nothing to offer, except a comforting hand. She walked to Tori and rubbed her back gently; she blinked but did not react beyond that.

Her mind went back to the previous fight and she cursed her lack of skills; she wanted to be worthy of him. She wanted people to look at them and think, "Of course, it makes sense!" She wondered what he was thinking. She just kept on walking, with Akio and Sofia by her side. She realized that he had been staring at her this whole time.

"What?"

"You girls are not heeding my warnings" he said accusingly.

Sofia scoffed. "What did I do?!"

The Gatekeeper sighed deeply with frustration.

"I may be quiet and a mere extra character in this story, but I see things!"

"Mr. Daisuke!" Abigail suddenly said with frustration. She was tired of being told what to do and how to feel. He looked up in surprise.

"The heart is not a switch that can be turned on and off at will!"

_Exactly! _thought Sakura, who eyed Sasuke. Akio looked at Aby and smiled; Her countenance had changed.

"The Grand Gatekeeper knows best," he said.

Just like that, she decided she wasn't going to let any barrier rise between them; physically or mentally. She didn't have the skills yet, but she was here to work on them. She was not part of their story, but she was in it, so she would take her place, somehow.

She walked past the shinobis and walked beside Gaara; she was surprised that Yashiko would let her in so easily.

"How are you feeling," she asked, concerned.

He finally looked at her, after what seemed to have been an eternity. He gave her a frail smile.

"I've been better,"

"You've been worse too!" encouraged his brother behind him."

"I've been worse too," acknowledged Gaara.

He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair, like a kid.

Sofia grimaced at the sight and Akio smiled, as if reading her mind.

"It's an Asian thing," he explained. "That is how men express their affection with ladies" he said in a more serious tone.

"In America, we just kiss,"

"Yes, I know."

"How far are we from Konoha?"

"Five minutes closer than last time you asked," laughed Shikamaru.

Temari smiled. "They are eager to see their friends!"

"Yeah, yeah … I guess it can't be helped."

"Are we gonna see Naruto?" screamed Toshiko, suddenly excited. "You keep talking about him! He seems really cool!"

"Yes!" Abigail found her smile back. They would see Matthew and Hazel, and Naruto, Sai, Ino, Shino, Hinata, and the rest of the gang! She looked down the road and saw the village's gate at last; a familiar sight from an anime rose before her, the six faces carved in a stone wall; in real life … sort of.

_Wow! I can't believe it!_

The leaf shinobis went ahead, and were soon greeted by four guards, wearing the familiar green shinobi jackets and headbands. One of them ran in the village and the others walked toward Gaara to greet him.

"Lord Gaara, welcomed to the Leaf Village, Lord Seventh will be coming to greet you."

"It is not necessary for him to come meet me. I can still go to the Hokage's office. I may be slower, but I'm—"

"No no … the Hokage himself insisted on being notified of your arrival, he—"

The guard who stood looked toward Abigail and the rest of the "strangers" and broke off. His eyes grew bigger when he saw Sofia, who smiled politely in response.

"The … they … hum, Kakashi, I mean Lord Kakashi knows you are injured, he received the note from Sasuke's hawk. He was also intrigued by the … people coming over."

The man stared at Sofia while Gaara tried to understand what he was saying.

"People …"

"Oh … them, the strangers from the other world."

"They call themselves 'Americans'," exclaimed Kankuro to the man, seemingly annoyed.

"Oh yes, I believe they mentioned that word …" he said, still looking at Sofia. Abigail was surprised to see Sofia look away, without attempting to flirt with the man who was flustered.

"Soooo … can we come in?" laughed Kankuro, still carrying Tori on his back; he gave her a little jump to reposition her.

"That kid needs special attention, if you don't mind … so does Lord Gaara."

Gaara raised his hand to protest, but was interrupted.

"Oh! Yes! My apologies!"

The man seemed to wake up, and led them inside, passed the gate.

"It's the hair," said Kankuro to Sofia with a smile. "That teal color turning metal light blue at the bottom … that's quite unique!"

"It'll change soon enough," she said. "If we are staying a month or more here, the color will eventually fade and turn dull.

Temari looked surprised. Nobody changed their hair color … Some were lucky enough to have different hair colors. Sofia's was, indeed, very peculiar, but she thought it was her natural color.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow and smiled, amused.

"You're very peculiar; a tattoo on your back, just for fun; hair colored, just for fun, pretty interesting you are!"

Sofia glared at him for a second.

"Hey, I didn't say it was "bad"... I said it was interesting; as in 'nice'."

Sofia's cheeks turned pink at his words. She didn't think he thought of her as 'nice'. Since the last events together, she thought she must have passed for an idiot to anyone, especially to him.

Aby looked around, amazed. A few meters inside, and the streets were busy! People everywhere! Markets, shops, restaurants; the smell, the sounds, the noise; it was nothing like Suna. It was alive! People looked at them and whispered among themselves. It was already something special to have a Kage visit the village, but she had a feeling that their presence also raised their curiosity.

A voice interrupted her spying and her face lit up when she saw the man approaching.

"Welcome! Lord Kazekage! Please sit for a moment, I'm aware of the encounter you had yesterday. I trust everyone is okay-ish?" He looked at the group frowning and saw Tori on Kankuro's back.

"That little one needs attention right away."

A man that Aby did not recognize bowed and led Kankuro and Tori away, towards the hospital.

"Lord Gaara, maybe you should also …"

"No need, I'm fine. You have an exceptional shinobi who is skilled in healing jutsu. She took great care of me and for that I'm very grateful."

Sakura smiled and bowed in response. "It's only natural!"

"Sakura San had her fair share of healing these past few days! I would think she saved quite a few lives!" Yashiko said enthusiastically.

Sasuke looked at him annoyed. What was there to be so excited about? Everyone knew about her exceptional abilities … that wasn't anything new.

"You're really overpraising me! Lord Kakashi? May I head over to the hospital? I feel they might need my help with Tori."

"'_Kakashi'_ is fine …" he mumbled under his breath, annoyed. "Sure, you may go."

"Toshiko, why don't you come with me? I bet your sister would like you to be around!" She then turned to Yashiko. "Let's meet later, we can talk more if you want?" she smiled.

"I'd be really glad! Thanks!"

Sakura ignored Sasuke's sigh; she led Toshiko toward the hospital.

Kakashi finally looked at Abigail, Sofia and Akio. They didn't look as different as their friend the first time he met them; Sunagakure's clothing must have been helping.

He removed his Hokage's hat that had been replacing his headband, and passed a hand in his silver hair. A dark, smokey grey scarf was pulled up his mouth.

"I finally get to see you! Let me tell you, we have heard a looooooot about you two … you however …" he looked at Akio who bowed down in response.

"I believe we'll have a lot of time to talk." he answered.

Abigail raised her hand excitedly. _It's Kakashi! _"Hi!"

"I like the hair!" Sofia said with a grin.

"Uhm … yeah, I like yours too … so, how are you two holding up?"

"Well … It's fi—" started Sofia, but Abigail jumped in, unable to hide her excitement.

"It's so awesome here! You look even better in real life!"

"Oh!"

"Can I ask a question?"

"Well—"

"Are you still seeing that pretty girl that works at the prison? You know, the one you met at the airship in the Land of Waves?"

"Ehhhh" he barely had time to blush that Aby asked another question.

"Why DO YOU wear a mask? That was never clear …"

"Oh, That—"

"Do you miss the Sharingan? Oh wait! No! You still have it, right?"

"..."

"..."

"Well it's—"

"How did you feel when you found out Madara was actually Obito? It must have been so painful, realizing it was Obito that started the whole thing! How do you like being Hokage? Is it hard? Do you miss going on missions? How is Naruto doing in his—" Aby gasped. "WHERE IS NARUTO?"

She looked around but sighed in frustration, not recognizing anyone at all. She realized, it WAS a big village, full of villagers. She did see a couple of leaf shinobis around, looking their way, but did not recognize them either.

Gaara looked at her, turning round and round in anticipation and grinned, amused.

"She's … a big fan … apparently," he said grinning to Kakashi who was puzzled and confused by all the questions. Once more, he attempted to answer her last question.

"Who knows, he's always with Hinata or—"

"ICHIRAKU RAMEN NOODLES!" she exclaimed.

"Ah … yes …"

"Lord Sixth, we should talk," said Gaara. "And he could help answer a few questions as well." he added pointing at Akio.

"Yes … why don't you two go and eat! Go and explore, you are safe here! Just meet us back at the hosp—"

"OK!"

Abigail took Sofia's hand and led her towards the shops and restaurants. Her friend followed with a grin; Abigail seemed to have forgotten about all her concerns.

"Why don't you go with them," said Temari to Shikamaru. "I'll go home, I'm a little tired."

"I should go with you," he said disapprovingly.

"Why should you go with her?" suddenly inquired Kakashi.

Shikamaru looked at Temari.

"There are no reasons," she said, waving her hand and laughing. "Go with them! You can introduce her to the others! Where are … what are their names again?"

"Matthew and Hazel," said Shikamaru with a long face.

"Yes, they are dying to see each other again! Go!"

"Fine," he sighed. "What a drag …"

He led the girls on ahead, towards Ichiraku ramen Noodles.

Kakashi eyes squinted and looked at Gaara.

"Let's go. I've got some great tea given to me by the Mizukage!"

* * *

Aby, Sofia and Shikamaru arrived at the noodle place when a voice called out to him.

"Hey! Is that the other girls?!"

They turned around and saw a man around their age, a small goatee and two deep purple marks adorned his face. The man was happily trotting their way with a huge white fluffy dog following his footsteps.

"Oh! You're Kiba!" shouted Abigail.

The man grinned amused.

"Oh! Hazy was right! She really knows us!"

"Kiba, Sofia and Abigail; Sofia and Abigail, this is Kiba and …"

Sofia was already all over the fluffy white dog. To Kiba's surprise, the dog was asking for a belly rub.

"Oh my goodness! You are so soft! What's your name cutie?!"

"Ehhh that's … Akamaru … wow! He likes you!" said Kiba a little puzzled.

Sofia stopped petting the dog and shyly looked between the dog and Shikamaru.

"I'M SHIKAMARU! SHI-KA-MA-RUUUU!"

Aby laughed with tears in her eyes …

"I'm gonna have to write you a list with the names, Sofia!"

"Sorry …" she said, petting the dog again.

"Ok … Akamaru-Dog, Shikamaru-Shadow guy, Shikaku-racoon …"

"My deceased dad …" corrected Shikamaru, growling.

"Ok … Shukaku is the raccoon … I'll get this right, I promised!"

"Where're you off to?" asked Shikamaru.

"Tamaki …"

"Ohhhh" Shikamaru grinned.

Aby grabbed Sofia's hand and pulled her toward Ichiraku Ramen while the two men were talking.

They pushed the curtain and entered the noodle bar. Everything was exactly the way she expected it. The man and the young lady were busy behind the counter, tossing noodles and other toppings in their pans. She looked around in anticipation, but was disappointed to see Naruto wasn't around. There was only a tall guy dressed in a seemingly old blue sleeveless hoodie and a black cotton pants; seemingly in his own world, reading a small hardcover black book, he was loudly sipping on noodles once in a while, without taking his eyes off the pages he was reading. The heat of the fire could be felt within the shop. The man behind the counter turned around quickly.

"What can I get you?"

"Uhhh …" started Sofia.

"First time here?" asked the lady with a smile.

"Yes!" Aby said excitedly.

The lady gave a quick grin and pointed to a picture on the wall. "That's our most popular!" she said.

"What are those pink and white spirals?"

The lady looked at Sofia with inquiring eyes.

"Where are you from?" She asked.

"Far …"

"We came from Sunagakure, " said Abigail.

"I believe even Suna knows what these are …"

"They're fish cake," explained Aby to Sofia, then turned towards the lady. "She doesn't usually eat ramen."

The man beside them scoffed, without lifting his nose off his book.

"Hey!" The cook said, behind the counter, "respect!"

"Don't pay attention to him! He just loves ramen!" the girl said with a grin.

"I'll take that," said Sofia pointing at the picture.

"What's Naruto's favorite?" Asked Abigail.

The man sitting beside them stiffened at the name, while the girl looked at Aby, curiously.

"Do you not know him?"

"Well, I saw him only in pictures …" which, she thought, was kind of true. "I know he really likes ramen and comes here, I just want to know what his favorite ramen tastes like!"

"Why don't you …"

"He likes that one, there, miso with extra porc," the man in the black hoodie pointed ahead, above the cook's head, interrupting the lady.

"Oh ok! I'll take that one then."

"You're such a groupie," laughed Sofia.

"I am! I can't wait to meet him!" exclaimed Aby. "Him and the others!"

The man in the hoodie snickered, his nose still in his book.

"What?"

"Nah … nothin' … something in the book."

Aby stretched out to try to see what the guy was reading but to no avail.

"So what's so special about this Naruto guy?" he asked before the lady could say anything. He removed his hoodie to uncover short sweaty blond hair and brought his bowl of ramen to his mouth and gulped its content down.

"What do you mean?" she said, startled. "You should know how special he is whether you are from this village or not!"

"Looks who's talking!" he laughed, while turning to face her, at last. "you don't even know what he looks like!"

"Of course I do!"

"..."

"..."

The guy dropped his book on the counter and bursted out laughing, holding his tummy with both hands.

Aby, puzzled, looked at the man and the lady behind the counter.

"Didn't you know? He was sitting beside you all this time!" The lady said while smiling.

She looked to Sofia, confused, and looked at the man beside her who looked nothing like Naruto … or … wait a minute!

Fine defined scars, barely noticeable, stretched on each side of his face. His eyes were deep blue, like sapphire. His hair though …

"... OH MY GOD IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU!" She couldn't help but stare. " What the hell happened to your hair?!"

He lost the smile. "What? What's wrong with my hair?"

"Why are they so short?!"

"Well … I … I can't look like a punk when I'm about to be a dad y'know?"

He stared at her, concerned and self conscious of her staring back with a smile. She was jumping, skipping up and down, her fists under her chin.

He smiled and stretched out his hand for proper greeting; she ignored it and threw her hands around his body.

"I'm sorry! But I'm a big fan!"

"Groupie …" laughed Sofia.

"Yeah … that is not weird at all …" he said without moving, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"ABY? SOPHIA?"

The girls jumped at the familiar voice that came from outside the noodle bar.

"Hold that thought!" Aby let Naruto go and ran out.

Right there, stood Matt and Hazel, looking as good as the morning they got separated. Their clothes were different, probably property of Konoha village, as she and Sofia also wore Suna's clothing. Matt had a faint bruise on the bridge of his nose, vestige of former black eye. Hazel was glowing, as she usually did.

The three girls took a second to look at each other in shock, then screamed at the same time.

Shikamaru and Kiba grimaced. Matt just stood there and put his pinky in his ear to try and regain his hearing, while Sofia and Abigail embraced him and Hazel.

"Are they always like that?" asked Naruto to Matt.

"Hard to say; they never get separated for more than a week ..." he answered with a smile.

The three girls then proceeded in a chaotic retelling of their own personal story.

"The kids and I were just falling!"

"I couldn't find Matt!"

"It was pitch dark!"

"Pink hair girl and emo guy found me, thankfully!"

"Hazel! Gaara; He almost killed me!"

"Matt had a broken arm … wait what?!"

"I know right?! I wasn't happy about that either!" chimed in Sofia.

"But then he saved my life a couple times!"

"Who's Gaara again?" asked Hazel, turning to Matt.

"Eyeliner guy …" he answered. "Where is he?"

* * *

Gaara entered the office first, after Kakashi, followed by Akio and Yashiko, who stood dutifully behind his superior.

They were not a big group as if they would have been if the five nations leaders were present; so they stood in Kakashi's busy office, instead of the conference room. It was a bright office, lit by the sun; it's location in the sky, told Gaara that it was still early afternoon.

Although he stated otherwise, the standing position was getting very uncomfortable. He was glad they were not attacked on their way earlier.

He gladly accepted the Hokage's invitation to sit down. Everybody else, except for Kakashi, remained on their feet.

Gaara discreetly sighed from the instant relief he got from sitting. He felt the wound pulsing under his rusty red shirt. He moved his Kazekage's cloak out of the way to peek at the fabric. A dark wet spot indicated that the wound had reopened, which was not unnoticed by the Hokage.

"No matter how Sakura skillfully heals flesh, nothing can be done if you do not rest! I'd really feel better if you had it checked at our hospital."

"Fine," he resigned, "I'll go as soon as we're done here. Thank you for your hospitality."

* * *

Kakashi had his back turned to them and watched the village from his window, down below.

"I see,"

He didn't quite know what to make of it. Another world that created their world? A guardian to protect the gates of other worlds, including this one?

He turned around to look at the Gatekeeper. He couldn't bring himself to believe that his life and the life of all other people he knew was because of a writer.

"I know it sounds surreal, but I've seen enough to believe it." Gaara said, as if reading Kakashi's mind.

"So, according to your research, we have one month until the next gate opens?"

"More or less," answered Akio. "But I'm not sure if it is always the case. The book said all the gatekeepers need, is a key and the power. So I don't understand why there would be a time limit. Or should Isay, I never tried it myself … A Gatekeeper is not supposed to open the gate just for fun! We are only there to guard it! Perhaps Abigail's power is not up to par yet … the new moon might bring some energy making it easier to open gates? Perhaps it is helpful for novices like Abigail. This was my initial thought."

"You don't seem to know very much …" indicated Kakashi.

"I know more than enough! This is God's providence; Abigail is like a creature raised as a lamb and who discovered she is actually a lion. She has a few weeks to learn to stand for herself and for others! This is the perfect place!"

Kakashi faced the window again.

"And what about the others? Her friends and the two children? Are they to be gatekeepers as well?"

"I don't think so. I do not get the feeling from Sofia anyway … neither from the kids; only with Abigail. However, I did not have a chance to meet her other friends."

"Have they shown any powers similar to ours?" Gaara asked the Hokage.

"No," he answered, still looking in the distance. "They are completely devoid of chakra and have no water, earth, fire or wind release … it was a mystery to me until I heard from Sasuke about Sofia, Abigail, and the children.

"There is something else," added Gaara.

Kakashi turned to face him. "What?"

"There was another man whom we met on our way to Suna."

Kakashi's eyes grew with surprise. Sasuke did not mention anything about another man.

"Another man?"

"He is also from their world, according to the girls, but …"

"But?"

"Ahhhh, I don't know …" Gaara shook his head with frustration. "Something is off with that guy; and I'm not the only one thinking that; Shikamaru also thinks so. Something happened between him and Abigail. We believe he took off with the key. We haven't seen him since then."

"But you don't have proof …"

"No but …"

"He did take interest in the key, before we left. It was my fault. In my haste and excitement, I left the key behind. The point is, he disappeared at the same time as the key." said Akio. "And more importantly, even if it wasn't him; the issue remains that without the Key, Abigail cannot open the gate!"

Kakashi sighed. He didn't know enough to understand the gravity of the situation, and yet, he could feel that the situation was much more serious than it seemed … this was out of their control, since it was an issue from another world … and yet … it seemed they would be affected somehow.

"So we need to help Abigail become … whatever she is supposed to become, and help her find the key…"

"Perhaps we should involve the other nations' leaders," suggested Gaara.

"No," replied Akio instantly. "It's not something that this world should have been aware of in the first place! Somehow you have been mixed in the complicated events, but we have to keep it as quiet as possible. Besides, not everybody would understand."

Kakashi and Gaara looked at each other; The man had a point.

"So what do you suggest then?" the Hokage asked the Gatekeeper. The latter replied with a smile.

"I will limit myself to provide the information I know. I will leave the decision to the both of you!"

"How about sending shinobis to look for Chris and the key. In the meantime, we should keep helping Abigail in her training." said Gaara.

"Ahhh … training. We've never trained anyone to become shinobis this late in their life! It takes years of training!"

"With the right teachers, it could be achieved. This is a special situation. I'm sure she will be able to do it," Akio said.

"I will help her with her ability with the water," said Gaara. "And if I may, I know of a leaf shinobi who is excellent with taijutsu!" he said with a grin, remembering the first time he confronted Lee in a match. Lee had zero skills with ninjutsu but excelled in the close range combat that offered taijutsu.

* * *

"There you are!"

Hazel ran behind Abigail when she recognized the voice. Matt grinned when he saw Lee walking towards them with determination.

"Miss Hazel! This is NOT how you will become stronger! Walking away from training is unheard of, and quite frankly, childish!"

"Listen, you weirdo! I never said I wanted to become stronger in the first place! I consider myself strong enough! I do hot yoga, I'll let you know!"

The man dressed in his green bodysuit looked stunned by the sudden lack of respect.

"Hey! This is no way to speak to your Sensei!"

"You're not my Sensei!"

"Hazel, calm down, you know he's just trying to help!" Matt said.

"He's crazy! Two thousand push-ups?! Really?!" she whispered back.

Lee came to meet them and noticed Abigail and Sofia. He bowed ridiculously low.

"Abigail-San and Sofia-San, I'm assuming! Greetings! It is a great pleasure and honor to make your acquaintance! My name is Lee, but people might refer to me as 'the handsome blue devil' While that might be true, do not be deceived by my appearance! I may look devilishly handsome but outer beauty does not define me! I thrive only on perseverance and to better myself in strength and speed every single day! The words 'give up' are not part of my vocabulary!"

"You just said 'give up' though … so it is part of your vocabulary," said Hazel to mess with him. As expected, his thick eyebrows rose high above his already big round eyes.

"You are right! This is unacceptable! I shall find another word …"

"Lee, will you leave the poor girl alone!"

A lady with two hair buns on each side of her head, tied with thin red bows, came into view. She wore a pretty white and red asian style blouse with red baggy pants. She carried nothing but a green scroll in her back. She pointed accusingly to Lee, with a fingerless gloved hand holding a kunai.

"You're being weird again! Besides, I told her I would teach her how to throw kunais! So that's that … my turn …"

"Thank you!" Hazel mouthed to Tenten. She winked in response.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The cook from Ichiraku Ramen Noodle looked at his customers with concerns. He rarely had so many customers at once; perhaps it was time to invest in a bigger place? His daughter nudged him with her elbow, to bring his attention back to the orders of ramen that still needed to be done.

It has been a long time since such commotion happened. However, the center of attention was no longer Naruto. The girls were eating their ramen under the attentive eyes of all the shinobis. They were all entertained by their new guests; although they were not exactly aware of some details.

Naruto squinted his eyes and watched the girls as if he was studying them. So they were from another world; as per Matthew and Hazel. Those last two looked very normal, beside the obvious lack of chakra. Sofia, however, was much more colorful.

Abigail … he couldn't put his finger on it. He felt Kurama inside of him stir uneasy as well. She was different, he knew that much; even though she didn't look like much. He heard Kurama's words in his head.

(Naruto, who is that?)

"_Kakashi sensei said she is from another world, but he won't say anymore; not yet anyway." _he answered back in his mind.

(She reminds me, somehow, of old Hagoromo.)

"_You mean the sage of the six paths? The guy who created you guys?"_

(Yes, but not quite the same. I can sense great power in her; but it seems contained.)

"_Like a jinjuriki?!"_

(No …) The fox paused and growled. (I don't know what it is. It's not chakra, but it's there.)

Naruto observed Abigail. The power seems to only come from her and not from her friends, according to Kurama, but Naruto couldn't sense anything at all; She seemed completely normal. His demon friend's behavior was puzzling him; He was used to Kurama being confident and down right rude, but now, he felt that the nine tails was curious and … concerned?

"Kurama, do you feel threatened by her?"

The demon fox took a few seconds before growling softly.

(No, she is not threatening, but her power; it is big and strong. What puzzles me is that I don't think she is aware of it. It is locked in, like a small ball that's waiting to burst free. Naruto, this girl is very powerful!)

Naruto studied Aby some more and frowned. She didn't look powerful at all. She looked like a kid who was in a candy store. She kept slurping the ramen up and staring at his friends, while her friends kept teasing her about something. He couldn't make up what it was since he was distracted by Kurama.

However, he jumped back in the conversation when he heard "Gaara" and "hospital".

"Wait what? Something wrong with Gaara?! What happened?"

"We were attacked by bandits on our way here," said Sasuke who just appeared out of nowhere. "Gaara and the little girl got seriously injured … well, the little girl anyway."

"Little girl?! Wait, what little girl?"

"Were you not listening?" said Tenten, "Abigail said she came into our world with two kids; the little girl got her throat sliced up halfway! If it wasn't for Sakura, she would have died!"

Abigail shivered at the memory.

"Gaara was injured as well, enough that he wasn't able to …"

Naruto put his hand over her mouth, "Shhh! Look, Gaara is a Kage, whatever happened to him, you cannot say it too loud; folks should not know when a Kage is hurt!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Shikamaru, eyeing him with surprise.

"It says so here," said Naruto, waving the little black book he was studying from.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't matter, idiot, It only does when something strange is happening and the Kage doesn't want to spread panic around."

"So he's at the hospital?"

"Yes," answered Sasuke, seemingly tired. "Sakura had another look at him and Tori, and said he'd be OK. He should be out soon."

* * *

Abigail stopped to see Tori first, as the others followed Naruto towards Gaara's room. She entered the room and waved at Tori who waved back with a faint smile. The first one since that time …

"Nee-chan!"

Aby smiled when she heard her sweet voice. She was expecting her voice to be broken and painful. Tori seemed to read her mind.

"Sakuwa-chan made me better," she said.

"That's great, Tori! I'm happy to hear your voice! I'm happy you are all better!" She turned to her brother who was sleeping in the corner of the room. "Poor guy must be exhausted!"

"He asleep," Tori said while playing with her bracelet. "Gaawa-san came say hi too; he nice, I like him a lot."

"Yes, he is very kind," she answered. Tori smile faded as she played with a strand of her hair. "How do you feel about what happened, Tori?" Are you ok? Are you scared it might happen again?"

A lady's voice answered behind her. "She slept but woke up from a nightmare, she is since afraid to go back to sleep."

Abigail saw a tall green eyed lady with long blond hair, gathered in a ponytail. It took her a moment to realize who the lady was.

"I'm Ino by the way, Sakura told me what happened when she was on her way here. So I helped a little. I'm assuming you are Abigail?"

"That's right, it's very nice to meet you! Tori, is it true that you are afraid of going to sleep?"

"The bad men will come again," she answered.

She sat beside her and rubbed her back. "They're gone forever. They will never come back."

"They will in bad dweam." Tori hugged Aby very tightly.

"Would you like to color, Tori?" asked Ino.

"OK,"

Ino got a notepad from her a green apron she was wearing. She also took out a pen with a decorative plastic daisy on the cap.

"When I was young," she started, "I used to draw pictures of spiders and monsters wearing crowns of flowers and other silly things, before I went to bed; so this way, these things would not be so scary anymore. Why don't you try it? I'll see if I can find some color pencils around …"

Tori stared at the paper ... she wasn't sure she wanted to remember what the bad people looked like, even if she could draw them with dresses and red lipsticks.

"It doesn't have to be the bad men, Tori. You can try to draw anything that makes you feel good … You can make up a story that will make you happy! How about riding a unicorn to the moon? Or having a beautiful eagle wearing a diamond on its forehead?"

Tori looked up at Abigail with an inquiring smile. "An eagle?"

"The giant black eagle with a million stars on its feathers! The king of eagles! Wearing a diamond on its forehead, like a crown!" Abigail grabbed the pen and clumsily drew some big bird with a little girl on its back, surrounded by planets. "See? Only you can be his friend and he carries you on his back and you both ride across the galaxy!"

"I want to fly!"

"Show us! After you finish your drawing, you can close your eyes and imagine some of the wonderful adventures you will have with this eagle!"

Tori must have been tired, because it didn't take long until she closed her eyes and slept, still holding on to the drawing of the clumsy king bird she made. Abigail looked at Toshiko who was still sleeping and chuckled. She picked him up and laid him down beside his sister, before covering them with the soft blanket.

She left the room and inquired if Gaara was still at the hospital. She looked out of the many windows in the hallways and saw the sun was much lower on the horizon. She followed the hallway towards his room, following the directions she was given. When she approached the room, she felt the anticipation and was surprised to see the door already open. She heard Naruto's voice when she neared and slowed down, not knowing if she should let them talk or just go in.

"Why don't you come over? You're not afraid I'll poison you, right?" seemed to tease Naruto.

"All you do is instant ramen ..."

"Hey! I can do pretty decent sandwiches now! I'm getting better every day! Hinata likes them so much she has double portions every time!"

"That's because she eats for two."

"I'll throw in chocolate strawberries ... What?! don't make that face!"

"I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing! C'mon! It's just dinner, you don't have to be Kazekage for one evening!"

Abigail entered the room slowly. Gaara was up against the windowsill, his arms and feet crossed and completely relaxed. It was only him and Naruto; Yashiko was nowhere to be found. Gaara, who was facing the doorway, was first to notice her. Following his gaze, Naruto turned around and gasped and put his hand on his heart.

"Oh Darn! How the hell did you … you scared me!"

"Right?!" said Gaara, laughing. "She's done it to me as well, many times!"

"How?" Naruto thought for a moment, "Is it because she has no chakra?"

"Now that you mention it, I think that'd make sense!" Gaara frowned. He'd never thought about that before; Shinobis were used to sense others' chakra, but since she didn't have any …

"I guess you have an advantage on sneak attacks," he said with a wink.

Abigail respectfully approached the two men. "I'm sorry for intruding; I wasn't sure if I should come in or not. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm good," he said. "I was actually—"

"Coming over to my place for dinner!" interrupted Naruto. Gaara laughed and looked back at him.

"Fine; as it seems you won't take 'no' for an answer."

"You got that right!" He turned to Abigail, "You're welcome too if you—"

"No, it's ok; Kakashi apparently asked that I go see him at the Hokage residence. Although I'm not sure how to get there."

"Oh it's easy! Just follow the main road, it'll lead you right there!" Naruto said. "I think you'll probably sleep there too for the time being. You'll all be comfortable there!"

Naruto pushed Gaara out of the room and Abigail followed. She wished she had some more time with … either of them, to be honest, although her heart sided more towards Gaara at the moment.

She sighed and figured that these two must have had a lot to catch up on, and she had to comfort herself with the knowledge that she would have the opportunity to see him later. She had a few more weeks of training to do, so she had plenty of time to meet them all.

She was told Tori would remain there for a day or two more; she figured Toshiko would probably remain with her at the hospital.

Naruto passed the front doors of the surprisingly empty general entrance and stepped out. She was about to do the same when Gaara quickly pulled her to the side of the door and briefly kissed her, brought her hand to his lips and followed Naruto before she could even say anything.

Abigail and Gaara glanced at each other with a smirk as she came out of the hospital. Naruto turned to her, oblivious of the little secretive interaction that occurred between them.

"Let's walk together!" he said talking to Abigail and Sasuke who appeared behind her, she didn't notice him right away. He must have been waiting right outside by the door. He just followed behind, seemingly brooding. Abigail wasn't sure why, but Sasuke seemed to be in a bad mood these days.

Naruto was happily walking backwards, as if to include the whole group in the conversation; including Sasuke.

"You know I felt him move for the first time! It took a while, but today, i poke her belly with my finger and then, I swear he kicked it back!"

_So it's a boy,_ thought Aby.

"How do you know it was a kick?" asked Gaara, interested. "How do you know which part of the body it uses?"

"Well, you don't … but it's more funny to think he would kick my finger back, ha ha!"

"How far along is she?" asked Abigail.

"6 months, almost 7!"

"You must be anxious to meet him!"

"You betcha!"

She spied Gaara who watched Naruto with a faint grin, and wondered what he was thinking, but Naruto was already changing the subject, turning around.

"So, this is where we part for today! If you go straight, you'll reach the academy and the Hokage's Office, not too far from here!"

"I know where it is, Naruto!" said Sasuke, "I used to live here, remember? Still do … from time to time …"

"I was talking to her!"

"Uh, whatever," Sasuke passed Abigail and Gaara to lead the way, and un-enthusiastically responded to Naruto's fist bump as he passed him.

"Huh?! Oh come on! What's with you! Did you get robbed of your cheerfulness or something?" he quickly turned to Abigail, still walking backwards, "what's with him?" he mouthed while pointing with his thumb.

She shrugged her shoulders, as she wasn't sure either. Her instinct told her it had something to do with Sakura, but she thought it'd be better not to ask. She followed him closely and gave Gaara one last look; and was answered by a discreet wave of hand and smile.

* * *

Abigail looked around while she walked. It was a busy village, houses and buildings as tall as the trees that rose throughout the city. It had the same vibe as little villages she saw in some parts of Japan. Streets going up and down; little pathways here and there; people walking, running, cycling, yelling, laughing, lighting up small lanterns and hooking them up on their houses and businesses. She could tell most of them had electricity, but she could see the charms of the lit lanterns all around. She was used to seeing city lights of many colors where she was from, but realized that "simple" was just as magical. By the time they reached the second floor of the building and entered the Hokage's office, she could see through the window that the sun had now set. She was alone with Kakashi who was waiting for her.

"Ah! How was the ramen?"

"Oh! It was sublime! I'm sorry it took longer; I wanted to stop by the hospital to—"

"No worries! I know you care for your companions! Happy you enjoy our local delicacy! Not that ramen is a delicacy … it's more like junk food … Just by curiosity, is it very different from the food in your world?"

"Well … it's similar, depending where you go."

She could tell he was smiling through his eyes, but he kept silent for the following seconds; she sensed he was studying her. He moved forward in a sitting position and rested his chin on his fists, elbows on the desk.

"So you are a Grand Gatekeeper!"

She laughed, "Well, I'm still trying to get used to the idea. Akio only told me recently and frankly, I'm still not sure about all of this."

"Why? You think he's a lunatic?"

"Oh no … I do believe him; this whole story is crazy after all, so nothing should surprise me. It's just, I don't really fit the description of a … soldier, warrior, or whatever he thinks a Grand Gatekeeper is supposed to be. I'm weak and I can't defend myself, let alone defend others."

"For now," he answered, still smiling through his eyes.

She chuckled, "You all have this faith in me without even questioning …"

"Oh, we question! But only for a little while; then we act!"

Abigail sighed in frustration. "There's nothing I can do or have enough training in such a small amount of time! Look at you guys! It took each of you years and years of training and experience to get where you're at! Now you expect me to become something that's supposed to be even more than that?!"

"You said so yourself; nothing should surprise you anymore!"

He had a point. She looked at her feet, still not convinced.

"I do admit that we did, indeed, have years of training, but some people are naturals! Since Akio says it is in your blood, it might come to you naturally! You might be surprised at the progress you make in a short period of time!"

He yawned and stretched his hands, before looking at the small pile of paperwork on his right. He took one and started scribbling something on it. She started to think he went back to his work and was perplexed as to what to do next; Was she supposed to excuse herself? Was HE supposed to dismiss her? Her thoughts were interrupted when he spoke again, without raising his eyes to look at her.

"Your training starts tomorrow. I'll send word to a few shinobis to help you; and I believe the Kazekage has already been appointed by mr. Daisuke!" he said smiling. "You're dismissed. I could tell you that you are free to roam around the village if you wish, as you're safe within these gates … except maybe in the more secluded areas; you never know what lurks there … However, I suggest you rest early tonight."

She waited a little, before he raised his eyes to meet hers. Seeing she wasn't moving, he frowned. "What is it?"

"Hum … where …"

Kakashi seemed puzzled for a few seconds and then remembered.

"Oh my goodness! Ah Ah! I'm sorry! I bet you'd like to know where you can sleep!"

He stood up laughing and dragged her out towards the third floor.

Similar to where they stayed in Suna, many rooms were displayed in a circular, gigantic hall without windows, each hidden behind a deep red door.

"I believe your friend Sofia chose that one on the left. This side is nice as it gives on the view of the village; the other side is more quiet and gives on the Kages' monument. Ah Ah, I sound like a realtor! Let's see, Lord Kazekage is over here and his brother's is right beside, I just don't remember WHICH side; oh well … mmm … Akio ... This one's shared by Matt and Hazel, Yashiko ... ah! There! This one's empty! Still have some view of the village! Lucky you!"

"Do you live here as well?"

"I have my own residence 2 steps away from the building, now you'll have to excuse me; got a few things to take care of and I'd like to have my mind free of these before the end of the day!"

Kakashi gave her a quick salute, turned around and left. She closed the door and took a look at her new room. This one was a little more furnished; a dresser, on each side of the bed with a lamp on each. She was surprised to see a private washroom and lavatory with a glass shower. She almost felt like in a hotel room; the only thing that was missing was a TV which she could obviously do without, anyway. She put down her purse and gourd and let herself fall onto the bed, grateful to have a comfortable mattress to sleep on, after the events of the last few days. She looked out to see a few stars flickering on the night sky, and fell asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

She tensed up as everyone watched her with curiosity. There she was, the lake behind her, and the rest of the very big group of shinobis before her.

Kakashi was standing beside her as the present shinobis, besides the ones who already knew about her situation, regarded her with new light. The whole group fell silent after Kakashi had finished introducing her as what she truly was, and what their role was towards her. Even Matt and Hazel were puzzled by the new information. They were sitting a little further away, on old tree stumps, trying to make sense of what the Hokage was saying.

On the other side of Abigail, stood Akio, who was smiling as usual, as if to bring confirmation and bits of extra information that Kakashi might have forgotten. Words didn't need to be spoken to know what the rest of the group was thinking. She looked down and felt very much like an object that was sold as a crystal, but looked very much like a simple piece of glass.

"So," Naruto started, "You're some kind of guardian who guards the gate between our worlds?"

"She protects a whole bunch of worlds, not just this one! But I believe that she is responsible for this particular one, as a gatekeeper would," Akio said in her place.

"What about you," asked Kiba, " aren't you the Gatekeeper for this world? I thought you had the key!"

"Oh no! I apologize for the confusion. I am a Gatekeeper, but not for this world. In fact, I consider myself lucky to have been brought here; it is a very rare event! As I mentioned before, we guard a gate, but usually do not go through it, unless necessary! The key of this world was given to me by the last owner. She must have been the one annointed to replace the last Grand Gatekeeper. I also have the key of my own gate, but I do not have it on me. It is still at home."

"Can you fight?" asked Tenten.

"Oh I can, a little. I can hold my own with a little background in martial arts, but never had to use it … until now. I am a little ashamed to admit that I never thought I'd have to use it, therefore, I'm a little rusty and couldn't do much when I was taken by surprise. However, Gatekeepers will never be as powerful as Grand Gatekeepers. I do not have any power, except for opening my own gate! She does; she only needs to awaken them! I believe that it was fate that we were all brought here."

A question popped up in Abigail's mind. She turned her head to Akio.

"Hey! Which 'realm' are you from? Are you from this realm? The … Epic realm, or whatever you call it?"

"I wish!" he chuckled, but then lost the smile and looked up, as if afraid to be struck by lightning for showing contempt towards the gate he was appointed with. "I mean, it is a good realm! Just not as exciting … for some! I am from some kind of chick flicks realm. My gate gives on the world of Skip Beat, you know, drama queen stuff …"

"Drama stuff?" she asked.

"Litterally! Her love interest betrayed her and she wanted to take revenge by becoming an actress, now of course the boy wants her back but she hates him, but not really, then another "Oh surprise!" super duper actor falls for her, etc …"

"Mr. Daisuke is right about her power. I witnessed it myself a few times, however, she has little control over this power yet, " said Gaara, interrupting the conversation that was deviating from the original subject.

"Kurama said that he sensed a very strong power in her," added Naruto. This surprised everyone, including Abigail. "I've never seen him like this before. He said it's all wrapped up in a ball within her, and it's waiting to be released."

"Yes, Shukaku said something along that line too!"

Hazel stood up and walked toward Abigail. "Do you feel it? That power?" she asked her friend.

Abigail shook her head. She felt nothing. Not even when she was doing it; she didn't feel any "connection" between her hands and the water; the water just … reacted.

"All right missy, show me what you got!" Kakashi took the well known bells he loved so much to carry for training purposes. Abigail looked at the bells and prayed they were not for what she thought they were. She heard Matt chuckled to her left. She looked up at Kakashi, then all the shinobis who gave an interested nod, then back to Kakashi.

"Are you asking me to take them from you?"

"Yes"

"... by myself?"

"Yes"

She laughed out loud in response to the ridicule expectation. Kakashi tilted his head in surprise. She took a few steps closer to the man who was still holding the bells loosely, in his open palm. She looked at them, then up at him.

"You wouldn't give them to me if I just ask politely, right?"

There was a pause and laughter came from the crowd of shinobis. Kakashi's eyes smiled.

"I appreciate the respect! But no, the exercise is to take them from me; by force."

"I can't …" She heard a distinct sigh from Gaara when she spoke the words.

"You are giving up before you even try!"

"I'm not a shinobi! Can't you at least show me how to punch and kick before you expect me to embarrass myself trying to get these from you?"

"I'm not expecting you to take them, I'm just—ohhhhhh very good!"

Kakashi was taken by surprise as Aby tried to snatch the bells as he was distracted. It didn't work, of course, as he swiftly moved them out of reach, but still, it was a good try.

"If you don't have the means, you use what you can; in your case, you used a moment of distraction! Not bad!" He put the bells back in his pocket. "All right since you were talking about that, let me see how strong you are!"

Kakashi lifted his hand up, palm exposed, waiting for her to punch in it. She was about to do so when he stopped her.

"Can you see something wrong in your stance?"

"Oh …" She remembered what Sakura told her. She brought her right leg backwards and moved her torso slightly sideways, fists up. When she thought she was good to go, she heard soft protests from the crowd. "What now?!"

Kakashi broke his own stance and reached out to her right fist that was tightly shut around her thumb. He repositioned it out of her closed fist, "That's much better," and she could see a smirk under his mask as he looked up into her eyes before getting back into a fighting stance, his open palm in the air. She blushed as she heard a few giggles.

She thrust her right fist backward for momentum and punched in his hand. She expected him to ask if that was all she had got, to add to her humiliation, but to her surprise, he nodded in satisfaction.

"OK! That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. You just need to work on it. How about that kick? Let me see a round house and side."

She obliged after a few directions. Even for evaluation, it was more technical than she ever thought! Once again, she heard a few protests when she threw her first kick and learned right then that hitting with toes was not a clever idea. She realised after a few seconds that the crowd was actually taking mental notes as they would be the ones training her. The fun part for them came next, when he asked her to create a bubble of water from the bucket of water he had filled from the lake. She didn't quite know why she couldn't do it directly from the water of the lake but she raised her hand for everyone to see, and did just as he asked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, followed by Kiba's gasp and Akamaru's whimper. The feat wasn't as impressive as the fact that it was done without involving any chakra at all.

Matt and Hazel though, couldn't contain their awe.

"Holy shit! Hazel do you see that?!"

"Y ... Yeah …"

Aby followed with everything she could do until now, including trapping rocks within the bubbles; but couldn't do anymore than that.

"I can't destroy the rock yet, though Gaa—I mean, Lord Kazekage seems to think that I can."

"She can't connect somehow," he added.

"Why don't you try to give it a name?" asked Sakura, which was approved by a few shinobis.

"Give a name … to the rock?"

"No," she laughed uncrossing her arms, "To the move you make! The name itself has no power, but it helps give it shape in your mind. It can be silly or clever; whatever helps! That's why we shout the names of our attacks!"

Abigail's eyes grew out in sudden comprehension. That's why Sasuke and Kakashi yelled "Chidori" when using it as an attack … because it sounded exactly like "chidori" (chirps of a thousand birds). That's why Naruto yelled "Rasingan" when using the attack! And that's why Gaara yelled "Sand Coffin" when using that technique!

The idea of the words was not to cast some kind of spell or look cooler, but to give shape to the attack in one's mind!

She made a new bubble and threw a rock in it. She closed her eyes.

"Hum … crush?" She opened her eyes and nothing happened.

"Try with more conviction," said Kakashi with arms crossed. She laughed when she saw everyone had their arms crossed; she truly was the center of attention.

"Crush!"

"What's crushing the rock?" asked Matt with an encouraging smile, which was followed with more approval sounds.

"Oh! Water! Water Crush!" she said while smiling towards Matt. Gaara frowned while looking at the bubble. The rock was starting to quiver.

"Picture the rock being crushed while you're saying it ..." said Gaara.

"Oh, OK!" She closed her eyes for practice and imagined the rock in her mind crumbling while she mumbled the words under her breath, then she opened her eyes and turned to the bubble to try again. However, the rock was no longer there; or at least, not whole.

She stared in disbelief, as everyone else did, at the already pulverized rock. She turned to Kakashi and Gaara, simultaneously.

"What happened?"

"You did!" said Naruto.

"No! I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did," said Gaara. "You said the words …"

"That was practice! I wasn't even looking at it!"

"Tell that to the rock … " said Gaara, puzzled.

"Impressive!" laughed Kakashi.

Aby's smile was as big as the lake. She still had a hard time believing she did that; yet, there it was, completely turned to dust, the speckles floating around in the water bubble. She let the water bubble fall back to the ground.

"Remind us not to get on your bad side!" said Choji, still sucking on a dango stick, which was followed by a few laughs.

"What else can you do?" asked Naruto, excited.

"Nothing … yet …" she answered.

"Well, here's your chance to try out a few things! Here, look at them!"

Aby looked at the 20 something shinobis in front of her.

"Now imagine that this whole line up of ninjas are coming to attack you. Try pushing them away with the water."

For the first time, the reactions were loud and clear as the shinobis all unanimously exclaimed their disapproval. Some of them backed away while protesting and crossing their arms in a "X" shape. Abigail was also nervous about the idea.

"Kakashi sensei, didn't you see what happened to the rock?" asked Naruto.

"Yes! It was amazing!"

"Sensei!"

"Y'all be fine! Now get your nine tails mode ready, just in case!", he said with an unconcerned look. "Now remember, just aim to push them away with the water!"

The shinobis braced themselves, waiting for the possible blow that would come. Aby watched mesmerized as Naruto seemed to engulf himself with bright glowing yellow, almost white flames. Black markings appeared on his face where the scars were, and along his entire body. He took a defensive stance with a resolute expression on his face. Sasuke had his Susanoo ready as well. She let out a shriek of excitement at the sight. Matt and Hazel also whistled in amazement.

Gaara also took a defensive stance; his sand seemed to hover all around him, waiting for a command to be spoken. Abigail, however, wasn't confident in this new task.

"I can't push over a dozen shinobis with just a little water in that bucket!"

"I don't want to hear 'I can't'," reminded Gaara with a smile, his sand still hovering around.

She closed her eyes and said as she was told. She saw, in her imagination, over a dozen people holding weapons, ready to charge towards her in a desert.

Why a desert? ... Why not?

She smiled while imagining herself standing there, without moving a muscle, staring at the men before her. She lifted both hands, in her mind, which held some invisible water above her hand. She held the water as if she was holding something solid above her head, waiting to be "thrown" to the "enemies". When she opened her eyes, she wasn't surprised to see that the water in the bucket had not moved at all.

"Go figure," she said smiling. However, the shinobis were all looking up, shocked and concerned. She looked above her head and saw a gigantic wave of water. She gasped at the giant wave and it came crashing down on her and Kakashi. Both stared at each other, soaked and shocked. Silence fell as everyone wondered if they were ok from this giant mass of water that suddenly fell on them. The water slowly went back to the lake, where it came from.

"Holy shit!" Matt exclaimed.

A few seconds went by until Hazel bursted out laughing; she bent over and had to kneel on the ground as she couldn't stand anymore. She took one more look at Abigail and laughed even more, with tears clouding her vision. Aby also started to laugh and was soon followed by the rest of the group. Kakashi, who was until now on the ground, rose up and removed the silver hair covering his eyes.

"Well, that was a beautiful fail!" he said with smiling eyes.

The funny incident had somehow brought any tension completely down. They left her water ability alone until another time, and the whole group of the "chosen" shinobis hanged around and helped her train the basic skills. What she was somewhat dreading, turned out to be a lot of fun! She had been learning the basics of martial art for the rest of the morning. The shinobis were quite encouraging. They all formed a circle around and took random turns to come at her, so she could get used to "being aware" of her surroundings and "react" to "attacks" instead of "planning" the attacks. Of course, they were not really attacking; she would be dead if they had. But she "countered" their "kicks" and "punches", the way she was shown. With every turn being a little faster than before.

The sun was already at the highest and the heat was getting hard to handle. Abigail laughed when she slipped while doing a clumsy back kick towards Sai who was approaching from behind, while she punched Gaara's hand in front of her.

"Maybe we should stop for today," Sai suggested. Gaara helped her up and their eyes lingered on each other for a bit. "You did good! Unfortunately for you, next up is Lee!" Sai continued.

"Oh no!" Aby said, wide eyed.

"Oh, you're gonna love it!" Hazel said with a wicked smile.

"Hey Gaara!" Gaara turned towards Naruto, "What's with this lousy move just now? Did you lose it buddy?"

"Hey! Don't talk like that to the Kazekage!" Yashiko yelled, indignant.

"Oh relax man, we're old friends! Right Gaara?"

"I was going to ask you the same," Gaara answered Naruto, ignoring Yashiko; nobody was ever expecting Naruto to be politically correct with anyone, and frankly, Gaara didn't mind at all; not coming from Naruto anyway.

"What?! This is all natural man! I've got this raw power in me!"

"Yeah, it's called Kurama," snorted Sasuke, joining in on the conversation.

"Hey!"

"Naruto, the only training you get is how much ramen you can eat in one day!" chimed in Shikamaru, which made everybody laugh.

"Oh! So that's how it's gonna be!" Naruto removed his t-shirt and wrapped it around his head like a bandana, standing topless under the sun and pointing at Gaara, Sasuke and Shikamaru with a smirk on his face. "Well, come on tough guys? Show me what's left in you!"

"Nah … it's too hot," said Shikamaru, walking away.

"Big baby!"

"Naturo," started Gaara, "what are you, 10?"

"I'm in," Sasuke said, removing his cloak and shirt as well. Some shinobis looked away, uncomfortable at the exposed cut off limb. Sasuke paid no mind to it. Naruto smiled, showing white teeth.

"All right! Come on Gaara! Jump in! It'll be fun!"

"I'm in then!" said Kankuro. He removed the top part of his black attire as well, and wrapped the arms around his waist. For a guy who was covered from head to toe, it was a surprise to see that his skin was tanned.

Aby sat down within the group of girls who were focusing intently at the guys. Matt got closer to Hazel who was also checking the guys out. He watched her watching them, removed his shirt and threw it at her face.

"Hey! I'm in too!" he shouted while walking towards them.

"Oh! You want to come and play with the big boys now! Ah Ah! Man you're so dead!"

"Matthew! Get the hell out of there! You're gonna get killed!" Hazel shouted.

"I'm gonna win this for you baby!"

"Oh! Can I come in too?" asked Lee who was already lowering the top part of his jumpsuit and revealed a very pale, but ripped torso.

Tenten was watching in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "Oh! I didn't see that coming!"

"Fine," Gaara got in the circle with his clothes still on.

They all took a fighting stance but Naruto stopped them in their tracks.

"Oh … by the way, taijutsu only …"

"All right! I got this!" said Lee, while the rest voiced their objection at once.

"Gaara, put your sand gourd down!"

"Even if I do, you know it's still gonna come protect me!"

Abigail watched while laughing. She never got to see them interacting with each other like that.

Hazel's concerned face changed into a frown. "Damn! Matt's training shows off a little," she said smiling.

Sofia also looked with a hand under her chin and a vague smile. "That's probably the best part of the trip … I mean … beside Abigail getting soaked earlier …"

Sakura glanced towards Sasuke by pure habit. She quickly turned and walked away.

"I'll get some frozen snacks to cool us off," she said to the girls. "You did good today, Abigail!"

"Thanks," she said while watching the guys.

They were sparring two at a time and watching them in their raw skills, just for fun, was refreshing.

They were teasing each other and laughing. Even Gaara let his guard down for a while, under Yashiko's disapproving look. He stepped back after a flurry of punches and kicks against Naruto and wiped his brow. Naruto cheered when he finally removed his shirt as well.

"All right! Now we're talking!"

"Oh, Oh!" laughed Kankuro, "Watch it, Naruto, Gaara means business!"

Naruto charged first and Gaara attempted to trip him with a slide kick to the ground. Naruto rolled on the ground and pushed himself up with his hands, throwing a high kick at the same time, which was blocked by Gaara's hand.

Aby watched, mesmerized, and smiled. It looked fun, but she was definitely no match for any of them. But each of them seem to believe in her somehow. That made her smile. She looked around her at the open lake, the forest and the people it was hiding. She liked it here. She loved it here. She loved it in Suna as well. She was in love with this place. She watched Gaara rotate his shoulder while smiling, as Naruto and Kankuro sparred together; they were so tangled in their movement that they ended up falling to the ground and exploded in laughter.

"He is strong," said Sofia while looking at her hands.

"What? Who?"

"Kangaroo … he doesn't look like it, but he's really strong! Last time," she whispered to Aby, so Hazel wouldn't hear, "When he … I couldn't move at all. I couldn't do anything at all. I was really scared that time; then he let me go …"

Abigail looked back at Kankuro and was trying to imagine him pinning her down. It sure didn't fit the description of his character, but she believed it for a moment back then.

"He hurt you. I made sure they knew I didn't approve of this … I still have mixed feelings."

"He didn't hurt me like that … believe me, what hurt the most is my own pride. Yet, I'm grateful that he did. He's a good person, and friend! I mean he could be …"

Abigail saw confusion in her friend's eyes.

"He is a friend!" she said. "They were pretty mad at me that night when I let you go alone. He didn't say a thing, but he just got up and went after you. He cares for you, so yes, he is a friend."

"He looks peeeerrrty good topless too!" she said with a wink.

"They all do."

"They all do.

"They all do," added Hazel while looking at Matthew getting a little beating. "Poor baby," she said. "I'll have to make sure he's alright after that!" she smirked.

When Sakura came back with a big bag, everybody came to get popsicles. At least, that's what they looked like; Aby was sure they were real fruits in there which was delicious. She handed one to Gaara before Sakura could do so, and turned her head quickly to hide the red on her cheeks, which was not unnoticed by Gaara. He stood perplexed as Naruto put his arm around his shoulder.

"You should train topless more often," he winked.

"Uh … I'm sorry … it's not you … " Gaara started, teasing Naruto, nonchalantly.

"What?! Hey!"

Naruto removed his arm and backed up three steps. "Quit that! I wasn't —"

"Also you are married, and about to have a child, I'm afraid —"

"Dude that's disgusting! I was talking about the girls! The girls like men showing their … oh forget about it!" He blurted out while walking away, putting his t-shirt back on.

"Aby," Gaara called out.

"Mmm?"

"You can have it, I'll have water instead."

"OK,"

She took the popsicle back and handed him water that Sakura held instead. She looked at Abigail amused, then went back to her conversation with Yashiko. Sasuke came for a frozen treat as well.

The smile she gave him was different. It was a genuine smile, but it was different. It was the same smile she gave everybody else. He realized he became like everybody else; which was a good thing. Sakura was moving on; it was a good thing. They would always have that three man cell bond, along with Naruto, but now she could find someone to … yes, it was a good thing.

He sat down nearby and listened to their conversation, as friends do; because they were friends … it was a good thing.

Sakura ran a hand in her hair as Yashiko talked about his brother back at Suna hospital, and discreetly munched on her popsicle. She smiled and didn't mind including Sasuke in the conversation as she saw him sitting nearby, looking at them. She stood up and sat closer and offered the bag for Sasuke to throw the stick of the popsicle he had eaten in three bites.

"You shouldn't eat that fast," she said, "you'll get a brain freeze … I had one of those before; they're not pleasant!" He shrugged his shoulders.

Yashiko observed them for a moment, thinking. Everyone seemed to mingle and enjoy the little break before parting their ways. Abigail would be starting a few hours of training with Lee. He didn't know him personally, but heard he was quite something and hard on himself, let alone on others.

His attention came back to Sakura and the little black diamond in the middle of her forehead. She had such pretty silky light pink hair that fell on her shoulders, and he blushed when he realized he was staring again. He shamed himself. His first duty was to guard the Kazekage; although he wasn't sure that he needed any protection. His long history of violence suggested the rest of the world needing protection against him; even if this was in the past, he could still feel the uneasiness whenever the Kazekage moved through the crowd. Even he was afraid to cross him on a moody day.

Sakura saved Gaara's life recently. She witnessed many scary things about him and she still counted him as a friend. She saved so many lives recently, and who knows how many more in the past, especially during the fourth great war. She was also part of the legendary team who brought down Kaguya Otsutsuki. She was amazing, and he found himself distracted many times while thinking about her. Maybe if he just got the question out of the way, he could move on and focus on his duties. But what if she agreed? It'd be a wonderful miracle, of course, but would he be able to focus?

"Yashiko?"

"Hum? Oh sorry," he chuckled. "I was thinking about something …"

"No worries, don't you like the lemon flavour? You barely touched it."

He looked at the frozen treat that was melting all over his hand. "Oh! I like it, but not particularly my first choice of snack. I'm more of a meat person. I like dangos very much actually!"

"Oh right! I like it too! Though I don't eat them often. Didn't they open a new dango bar recently in Konoha?" she asked Sasuke to include him; but he shrugged his shoulder, annoyed.

"How would I know, I just got back here."

"Oh right, I'm sorry," she said.

"Well, since we'll spend a few more days here, maybe I could, go find out how good they are?" Yashiko asked, "I mean, me and you, if you want to!" The words came out on their own and Sakura kept silent for a second, not daring to look at Sasuke.

"Oh!" she said blushing; somehow, it made her happy. "Why not? Sure! Let's go check it out!"

Sofia elbowed Abigail and pointed toward Sasuke, Sakura and Yashiko. "Oh, Oh," she whispered.

"What?"

Yashiko's face was pink but he smiled nonetheless.

"Really? You would? I mean … I know you are busy, but I'll be happy if you … if we can … uh, I'm sorry, I'm not really good at these things …"

Sakura held a giggle in as she thought it was adorable. She was going to reply when she heard a chuckle from Sasuke. She has usually been ignoring his weird mood since that day, as she didn't know what his deal was, but now... she took it personal.

"What?" she asked him, annoyed. "What it is, what's your problem this time?" she said sharply.

Sasuke looked in her eyes and grinned and started to walk away, but he was spun around by Sakura who was visibly upset.

"Uh, it's nothing," he said.

"Yeah well, you've been in that weird mood for a while now! What is it, this time? Why can't he ask me out?" This time people turned to Sakura, surprised to see her stand up to Sasuke, instead of idolizing him. "You know what? Scratch that … why can't I go out with him?"

"I didn't say you couldn't, relax, will you?"

"Ok so what's your problem?" she said sharply.

"You're really something else," he said, as annoyed as her.

"What?!"

"You kept saying since forever that you were so in love with me that it hurts! I even tried to kill you in the past, still, until a few days ago, you still lingered around me."

Where did that come from? Sakura watched Sasuke with confusion and lost confidence for a second. Then anger came across her face. How dare he speak so freely of something so personal between them, even if everybody knew about her feelings towards him, he spoke of it like she should be embarrassed, and it was working!

"You rejected me! What, am I supposed to just stay alone for the rest of my life?"

"Of course not, but for a person who was in love for such a long time, you are very quick to turn to another guy! And who stays in love with a guy who tried to kill her anyway! You know what? You should get your head checked; you are a very emotionally confused person."

His last statement was like a slap in the face. She glared at him with red eyes that started to fill up with tears. Her whole body was shaking and her fists were clenched tight. Yashiko opened his mouth to speak but was shushed by her so loud that she felt almost guilty while losing her composure. She took a long deep breath.

"You're right; I have been in love with you since before school! I had watched you suffer before I could even comprehend what you were going through. I cried in pain when I thought you were dead, and I worried like hell while Naruto tried to get you back from Orochimaru! I begged him to bring you back! You left on your own freewill, and I still loved you. You hurt people around and I still loved you. I even got to a point where I thought I could switch around as everybody else and take care of you myself, which was my darkest time, and I couldn't do it, because I was in love with you! You tried to kill me then! And still, I loved you!" She took a step forward, taking another deep breath to try and keep calm, but tears were dripping down. "You however, went from wanting to kill your brother, and protecting us, then turned away from us to go with Orochimaru, ended up killing him and your own brother! You enrolled with the akatsuki and then left them! You wanted to kill us, and then wanted to protect us and become Hokage! THEN YOU KISS ME, AND THEN TOOK IT BACK SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE FEELINGS FOR ME! YOU WON'T LOOK AT ME, BUT HAVE A PROBLEM WHENEVER SOMEONE SHOWS ME SOME ATTENTION?! I'M NOT THE ONE THAT'S BEING EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE! YOU ARE!"

Sakura furiously threw the bag at him with a shout and walked away from the group. Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds and walked away as well, picking up his shirt and cloak when he walked by them.

Naruto, in shock, turned towards Gaara who did not dare to say anything. He looked to Yashiko who raised both his hands in defense.

"I swear! I didn't know it would end up like that!"

* * *

Abigail would have liked to go see if Sakura was ok, but she found herself with a new training partner from hell; Lee was as harsh as she thought he would be. She didn't know how her muscles did not collapse yet. She knew he was being harsh for her own good. She didn't have much time and she had to build her strength and stamina as soon as possible. She also trusted Kakashi's jugement. She did have something to help her focus on the goal; she wanted to be worthy of Gaara. Every push-ups and sit-ups Lee made her do; every battle rope she had to swing, every step she had to run, and she hated running! She reminded herself that she would become worthy of him.

Just wait for me, I'm coming, I'll reach you soon!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Sofia climbed down the stairs of the hospital two by two, looking excited. Ahead of her, Tori looked at her with an uncertain expression, her hands wrapped around the neck of a lady who's name was Ino. Tori didn't like the idea to leave the comfort of her clean and quiet hospital room. All the running children and laughing adults made her nervous; but she had to eat, as per the main nurse taking care of her needs said. Sofia didn't know Ino at all, but she was quite a beautiful, tall and intimidating lady. She'd make funny faces to Tori to try to cheer her up.

Toshiko was climbing down the stairs not far behind. He had been at his sister's side all this time without ever leaving her, even when the nurses commanded him to leave to at least get something to eat, he would not move. Sakura had spoken to the staff to make an exception for him, and had stopped several times to bring him food and drink. The hospital room, even for him, was a thousand times warmer and cozier than any night in the streets; so he could understand his sister's reluctance to leave; but the main nurse had put her foot down; Tori had to leave her room and face the crowd.

He could tell that Sofia was trying to ease the tension, but he couldn't bring himself to let his guards down. His sister almost died the last time he did; this wasn't going to happen again. Every person they crossed made him anxious; especially men.

As they reached the second floor and turned the corner towards the general children's cafeteria, they met Kankuro and Temari who were as surprised as them.

"Kankuro! Temari!" exclaimed Ino, "What are you guys doing here? Is Gaara back at the hospital?"

"No, we came to check on Tori!" answered a tired Temari.

"Did you have a rough night?" teased Ino with a wink.

"Where are you guys going?" she inquired, ignoring Ino's taunting.

"We're going to have lunch with the other kids!" Sofia answered.

"That sounds like a lot of fun! Can we come too?"

Tori smiled and nodded shyly. They all made their way to the center of the floor, where an arch erected, filled with many silver strings of shiny and glittery butterflies and stars spread across. The group pushed through the tinkling sound of the butterfly and star beads. If the entrance looked promising, the inside was disappointing. Tori looked around the big room where children, young and older, sat in chairs of many different pastel colors. Most of the children looked sickly, but some of them ate with an empty stare.

Sofia looked around at the sad sight.

"I thought this was supposed to be a fun place," she whispered to Ino. "They all look like they are having a bad day!"

"Well, they are!" she answered, "they are in a hospital!"

"Yeah but … come on! Look at the staff, they don't do much to cheer them up! Nothing is going on to distract them … they are not even talking to each other!"

"Many older kids have seen their family die during the war; others are injured. I can understand why they would not be willing to socialize at the moment." Kankuro said.

"They need to be distracted," thought Sofia. "Do they have a library here where they can read, or any activity sessions?"

"We tried," one of the staff said as she was passing by with arms stretched out, holding several food trays. "Very few show any interest. They'd rather stay in their room where they feel comfortable; we cannot force them."

Sofia glanced towards Tori and Toshiko who seemed disappointed by the sight. Tori leaned back her head against Ino's shoulder.

"Maybe," she started thinking, "Maybe if they are introduced to it while they are eating … they don't have to go anywhere, they're already here! Maybe they'll start to enjoy it!"

Kankuro sneered at the food that one of the kids was encouraged to eat, which was a mess of stew and weird stuff.

"They should probably work on the food selection first! I don't know many kids that would look forward to diner time with that food!"

"What about those things we were eating back in Suna? You know the candied fruit skewer type of thing?"

Temari laughed, "You mean the Tanghulus?"

"Yes! They'd be great snacks for—" Sofia glanced towards Kankuro, remembering the day they had their little pun game they between siblings. He became anxious when Sofia stared at him with a bright smile. "Kangaroo! Do a puppet show!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! You're good with puppets!"

Temari chuckled.

"I—"

"Just do it!" Without waiting for his reply, she went to talk to a staff that was standing near the kitchen area, and helped herself to one of the big round tables that was folded against the wall. She moved it where everyone could see it and spread the legs enough to hold the table in an upright position, facing the children. More curious eyes glanced in her direction as she covered the table with a large blue and pink linen and motioned Kankuro to come to the back of the new improvised puppet show "stage".

He nervously joined Sofia in the back of the table and growled softly. "I don't think this will work … "

She ignored his warning and removed the puppet from the bag he carried it in, something he clearly didn't appreciate.

"HEY!"

He covered his mouth to try to calm his voice down. "Hey! You're so freaking rude! Don't take someone's belongings without asking first!"

She looked at the puppet she was seeing for the first time, or at least, that she clearly saw from up close for the first time. She knew he used it during the last fight, but now that she was able to touch it, shivers ran down her spine. The thing was straight out of a horror movie!

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

"D-DON'T TOUCH THAT! YOU'RE GONNA TRIGGER THE POISONED NEEDLES TO SHOOT OUT!"

"Why the hell is it so ugly?! You're gonna give them nightmares!"

"I MAKE FIGHTING PUPPETS! NOT CUTESY STUFF TO MAKE CHILDREN LAUGH!"

She quickly covered its head with the bag and struggled.

"Not like that BAKA! You gotta fold it in a certain … arrrg, GIVE IT TO ME!"

Sofia looked around hoping for some puppets to suddenly appear for convenience purposes.

Kankuro quickly folded his puppet back into the huge bag and sighed.

"Fine …" He walked to the tables and looked around quickly, stopped, thought for a few seconds and grabbed a few colorful paper napkins and walked back behind the table where Sofia waited. She watched him rip two parts of the paper napkins half way. He wrinkled two napkins in balls and wrapped them in the middle of two other napkins with the ripped parts. He brought the ripped parts together in a knot and hence, created what looked like hands and heads...the rest of the napkins dropped down the "heads". He showed Sofia the two faceless puppets.

"There,"

"... Ghosts?"

"Good idea!" He said with glowing eyes. Before she could say anything, he gave one of the puppets to Sofia and lifted the other one above their hiding place. A spooky voice came out of his throat.

"MWAHAHA! Your attention please, children of the leaf village! I am a ghost! I seek someone to scare! That is what ghosts do! It is our only purpose! Would you please lead me to an unsuspected person to scare please?"

Sofia frowned in concern; ghosts were probably not a good topic for hospitalized children with a trauma. However, she was surprised to hear the children get out of their chairs and get closer. Kankuro blindly turned his faceless puppets to face a random direction and made the improvised napkin hand point out and a little girl giggled somewhere in the growing audience.

"You! Could you be a person I could scare?"

They heard a few more giggles followed by a unanimous "Noooooooo!"

Sofia brought her own puppet up.

"Hey! I wanted to scare someone too!"

"No! You had your turn yesterday! Today is my turn!"

More children laughed at the silly ghosts who were arguing, and it gave Sofia an idea. She reached for her little Sakura figure, unhooked it from her purse and brought her up.

"Ahhhhh! Ghosts!" she screamed. The children gasped at the sight of the pink hair girl figure. She could hear a few "It's Sakura-San!" whispers.

"Ah! I see a person to scare!" Sofia made her ghost say. Kankuro reacted exactly the way she was hoping.

"Now wait a minute boneless head! I said it's my turn to scare someone today! Get back in line!"

"Listen you faceless dude in a pink paper dress!" The children and a few staff burst out roaring with laughter. "Im'ma go and scare whoever I want, whenever I want! So deal with it!" her ghost said while head butting Kankuro's ghost.

"Wha—What is going on!?" Her little Sakura said in a trembling, confused voice.

"Oh yeah?! Think you're so tough? There is not enough space for the both of us in this world!"

"We don't have a body you idiot! Obviously there's plenty of space!" The crowd laughed as the ghosts fought each other while the little Sakura shook in fright, still in her ever changing fighting stance.

"Uhm...excuse me? I … I guess you both can scare me? You don't have to fight each other for something so trivial?"

The two ghosts turned to her at the same time.

"Mind your own business lady!" said Kankuro's ghost. "We are having a private conversation here! Wait for your turn!"

"Yeah!"

"W—Wha? I'm just trying to help!"

The two ghosts continued to ignore the little Sakura key-chain and kept arguing.

"You're always trying to steal my scares!" said Kankuro.

"That's … That's because I'm not scary enough! Whaaaaaaa!"

"Wait what? What are you talking about? Of course you are scary!"

"No I'm not! I'm the most unscary ghost in Korona …"

"Konoha!" whispered Kankuro to Sofia.

"... Konoha!

"That's not true! You're the most scary ghost I've ever seen!"

Sofia's ghost gasped and Kankuro waited a moment before facing away, presumably shy at his new confession. Sofia held a giggle and bit her lip.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," the ghost replied while facing the other ghost once more, its head down. "Yes," Kankuro repeated looking at Sofia. "Inside and out."

She smiled back and made her napkin ghost clumsily hug the other ghost and heard a hoard of "awwwww" in the audience.

"Ohhhh, I am soooo confused! Wahhhhhh!" suddenly cried the little Sakura.

Sofia tried to contain her giggles as Kankuro kept on talking and doing silly stuff. He definitely was good at that! Ino gave them a thumbs up and a smile from behind their table; the children, including Tori and Toshiko, were enjoying themselves.

They kept at it for about an hour and then Kankuro went around the tables, showing the kids how to make the puppets, which was pretty easy. By the time they left, the children were playing with their own new puppets, even when they had to go back to their room.

"Tori can go home tomorrow," said the main nurse from the third floor. "I trust they have a place to stay at the Hokage's Office?"

"Yes, they do; I'm sure Abigail or myself will get them tomorrow." Sofia said.

Kankuro was already gone; she wished she could have talked to him a little more. That was a side of him she never saw before. She had a lot of fun today! She remembered the lesson he taught her back in the forest and the shivers came back. Maybe that's why he left without saying anything; maybe he despised her.

She stopped in her tracks and shook her ideas straight; She might have been stupid, but why would she be despised?! And why was she worried about what Kankuro thought of her?

"You seem deep in thought!" Temari said to her.

"Oh! Yeah … Where are you heading?"

"Gonna grab some takeout and head home; I doubt Shikamaru ate anything, and you?"

"I should probably do the same."

She didn't. She went straight to the Hokage's Office and climbed the three flights of stairs leading to the guest rooms. She passed her own room to look at the one at the far end to the right, but Abigail's room was empty. She looked out the window to watch the sun. She concluded that her friend was still out there, training with the weird guy in the green bodysuit … Lee? She smiled. The name did make sense; the guy was clearly created with Bruce Lee in mind. The others though, she wasn't sure.

She heard a door open at the other end of the hall and saw Kankuro come out of his brother's room. The latter stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry, she would tell us if there was something wrong,"

"Would she?"

Gaara looked towards Sofia who was near her door and gave a greeting nod. Kankuro followed his gaze.

"Hey! Hi!"

"Hey, I … is everything ok?"

The brothers looked at each other before they both answered. "Yes" Something they definitely did not want to discuss with her.

Gaara nodded again and closed the door behind him. Kankuro walked towards Sofia but stopped at the door next to Gaara's. Sofia closed the gap between them, since her room was at the other end.

"I came to see if Aby was back."

"Judging by you standing alone, she's not back yet," he said.

"You should be a detective!"

"I kinda am, it's part of a shinobi's job to be a detective," he answered after a few seconds.

"Oh," Sofia didn't know where to look. She found the seconds of silence embarrassing. "It was fun today! You're really good with puppets!"

"Yeah, I prefer weaponized puppets though."

"Yeah …"

"You were not bad either, was it your first puppet show?"

"Kinda … I mean … we all do puppet shows when we're kids, right? I just … improvised there."

She slowly passed him to go towards her room. Those silence breaks were too uncomfortable for her. She thought maybe he was too polite to just excuse himself and go into the room. She was just gonna have to accept that he was just not impressed with her as a person and that was that.

"Don't worry about your friend," he said, "the sun is setting, I'm sure she'll be back soon." he said as she walked away. She smiled politely and nodded. "One last thing," he said. She turned around. "Don't ever touch that puppet without my permission again."

His stare was cold and serious. She just turned around and walked to her own room. It was small, but it was hers for now. She threw her little backpack on the nightstand and grabbed the hair tie beside it. She did a double tie to bring her hair up and washed her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered what she was supposed to see. She obviously saw herself, but something was different; and she wasn't sure if she liked what she saw. A few years, since she started dating, has brought her to this instant, in front of the mirror and wondered what people saw when they looked at her.

She left the washroom and removed the konoha shirt she wore and switched to a long stretchy fabric t-shirt that was in one of the drawers. She grabbed a map of the "Naruto World" and let herself fall on the bed, crossing her legs. She glanced at it without a real interest; her mind was a mix of fleeing thoughts and concerns. She put the map down on her chest and looked at the impeccable ceiling. Maybe if she would apologize to him! She realized she never apologized and thanked him for what he did. It was embarrassing, but he did this for her own good. It would be the grown up thing to apologize and thank him. Maybe in the morning.

* * *

Abigail made her way slowly towards the guest rooms. Crawling would have probably been faster; she was exhausted and her body was aching. She grunted every other step she had to climb and reminded herself that she'd have to go back to train with Lee the next day.  
_  
_"_This guy is gonna kill me before I can even learn how to fight!"_ She thought when she finally reached the third floor.

The sun had gone down a few hours ago, but she didn't know what time it was; she only knew it felt very late. She glanced towards Gaara's door and knocked without hesitating. She heard a chair scrap against the floor.

"Come-in," said a tired voice somewhere behind the closed door.

She opened the door and peeked inside. She was greeted by a warm smile. He stood up and walked towards her. His red trench coat was hanging on a hook of the luxurious washroom door. His bed and room was double the size of hers; understandably, he was the Kazekage after all. This was probably a room dedicated for Kages. He had been writing something when she came in, but she was too tired to inquire, and frankly, was probably none of her business.

"Wow! You actually knocked! Did Lee show you that?" he asked.

She answered with a grimace and closed the door behind her. She walked to him, slightly limping.

"What happened to you?" he asked as she wrapped her arms around him, too tired to wonder if he would feel uncomfortable or if it was appropriate to just throw herself on him that way; but he received her as if it was natural. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and smiled.

"Lee …"

"How many times did he kill you?!" he chuckled.

"I have to go back to him tomorrow morning,"

He smiled, picked her up and laid her on his bed before sitting beside her. He stroked her hair with his hand. The streets outside had become quieter; cicadas could be heard and a few lanterns went out already. She embraced the calm of the night and Gaara's fingers in her hair.

"Lee is known to be harsh on himself, so I'm not surprised he would be on others. I only pity the students he will take under his wings! But I trust his judgment, and so should you. He will make you discover your own strength and capabilities."

"I wish this could be done within a week, I don't think I can take this for a month!"

"You won't feel it for a month," he said laughing. He went towards the washroom and brought a bottle with some dark liquid inside. He poured a little in his palm and started rubbing her legs and feet with it. A similar warmth as the paste he used a long time ago worked on her muscled and they seemed to relax. "Once your body gets used to it, it will become like a walk in a park."

She opened her eyes and looked in his, "You guys really think I can do this in such a short time?"

Gaara took a moment to answer. He was still smiling, but she could have sworn, the expression in his eyes changed.

"You don't necessarily have to do this within a month … Daisuke said the new moon makes the gate easier to open, but once you get the hang of it, he said you could open it whenever you want, so technically, you can take all the time that you need!"

For some reason, he decided not to tell her that Akio also said that Gatekeepers usually do not go through the gate leisurely.

Abigail stayed quiet. This was news to her, but Akio also said that she couldn't stay here; none of them could. She tightened her grip on the pillow, torn between her desire to stay and the responsibility to go back to her world, along with her friends.

Gaara sat on the bed beside her, placed her head on his lap and caressed her face with one finger, from one eyebrow to the other with some pressure in between. It didn't take long that she fell asleep. He thought about bringing her to her own room but enjoyed the moment.

"_I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes and bring her back …"_ he thought while his fingers ran through her hair.

* * *

Sofia tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She sat down and looked at the time.

11:23PM!

She stood up and left her room, directly going towards Abigail's. She knocked softly and opened the door. Obviously she didn't want to wake her up but needed to talk to someone. She wanted to know if maybe she was still …

"Aby?"

She opened the door wide and turned on the light to see the empty bed.

"ABY?"

Sofia ran out and knocked on Kankuro's door in panic. To her surprise, Kankuro opened right away, without any shirt or markings on his face. It was the first time she saw him without the face paint, but she was too distressed to linger on that.

"She's not back yet!" she said before he could say anything.

"What?"

"Abigail! She's not back! Her room is empty and her bag is not there!"

"Calm down! She's probably with Gaara!"

"Not at this time! She should be in bed!"

"Who are you, her mom?" he laughed, which pissed her off.

"SHE'S NOT BACK! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HER!"

Kankuro lifted his hand up. "Relax! Let's go check with Gaara first …"

They left the room and listened through the door.

"What are you doing?! Knock!"

"Relax sweetheart! What if they … you know?"

It was Sofia's turn to laugh. "Trust me, they are not!"

"I don't hear anything …"

Kankuro looked at Sofia's concerned face and sighed. He opened the door very gently and peeked through, then smiled. He motioned to Sofia to come and see. She poked her head in front of him and she then noticed how tall he was. She peeked inside and saw two figures on the bed. One was sitting against the wall and the other smaller one was resting its head on the other's lap. Both of them were fast asleep.

"Satisfied?" Kankuro whispered to Sofia.

She smiled at him and left the room. "I'm sorry, it's just, so much stuff happened these last few weeks, especially to her. I'm not used to her having ... a friend …" she pointed towards Gaara's door.

"That's ok, I'm not used to Gaara having 'a friend' either! Trust me when I say, he has not been himself lately".

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure yet, to be honest. That being said, why didn't you just go see with Gaara instead of coming to me?"

"... I dont know …"

She was genuinely clueless. It was true! Why didn't she think of checking with Gaara first? For some reason, her first thought was to go to Kankuro.

"... Kankuro, what do you think of me?"

"Excuse-me?" The question startled him as much as the fact that she didn't call him "Kangaroo".

"Scratch that …" she waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. He was leaning on his door frame with arms crossed, frowning. "I'm sorry, I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I didn't get a chance to say that I was sorry."

"... sorry for what? The puppet? It's fine, it's just, you have no idea how dangerous that thing is! There are triggers everywhere and it needs to be folded a certain way, we could have died on the spot just by touching it—"

"No, I mean, for what happened in the forest a few days ago."

"..."

"I mean, then and before. And also, thank you. I … haha, I feel very embarrassed, but I'm grateful! I just don't want you to think that I'm the kind of girl who just does that, I mean, did that, 24/7. I didn't! It happens when …" she didn't finish the sentence as she didn't want to get emotional. Now that she thought about it, she did that pretty much all the time; except when she was in a relationship. Those never really lasted long. Why was that? Why did she get the guys when she was like that, and then disappeared when she would be …

Kankuro saw that she was struggling with something. He went into his room but didn't close the door. Instead, she walked in as he poured some herbal tea in a cup and handed it to her.

"I was gonna drink that, but it seems you need it more than I do."

"Thanks,"

He boiled some more water and prepared a second cup for himself. She held the cup under her nose and breathed in the pleasant aroma. The drink however, was a bit bitter to her taste.

"It's just green tea. I'm sorry if it's strong, I like it that way."

"It's fine." She took a sip.

"You were saying you get frilly when you have breakups."

She smiled at the word he used. They didn't speak for a long time until she broke the silence and shrugged her shoulders.

"They don't seem to like it when I stop being frilly."

Kankuro leaned forward, sitting on the bed.

"Look, I'm no pro but, maybe the 'frilly' part attracts the 'casual' relationship. It's easy, it doesn't take a lot of effort, and it's dangerous. If you want a long term relationship, than you have to stay yourself."

"What if … what if 'frilly' is the way I am."

"That's for you to figure out."

"But isn't that … bad?"

"Are you happy?"

"No."

"Then it's bad. If you believe it's bad, then you can work on it.

She sighed. "You can't change people."

"But you can change yourself, if you believe it's bad. Remember, nothing comes easy; you need to put in an effort."

"..."

"For what it's worth, I don't think that's what you are; not exclusively anyway. I think 'frilly' is cute, but you just bring it to a different level as a defensive mechanism, the one that could put you into trouble."

She looked up from the floor to meet his eyes.

"You look different without the … face paint, and hat."

"Oh, well, is 'different' good or bad?" he teased.

"Oh it's good!" She realized that the answer might have been a little too enthusiastic. "I don't mean better. But I don't mean that the makeup … I mean face paint and hoodie is worse either! I mean, both are good! Different, but equally good!" She blushed at his teasing smile and tried to quickly divert the attention. "What does it mean anyway? The face paint?"

"Oh, it's just traditional. A mixture of nobility mark and puppet mastery."

"Why doesn't Gaara wear the mark?"

"He kinda does, unwillingly," he said laughing. "That's not his style. Like I said, it's more of a tradition. Gaara is not your traditional Kazekage."

She looked down again. "It's getting late."

He looked at her and smiled. "Yeah ..."

"Thank you for listening, I was afraid that you might have the wrong idea about me. Again, thank you, and I'm sorry for before."

"Why?"

"We already went through this," she laughed, "You know, in the for—"

"No I mean, why were you afraid I'd have the wrong idea about you?"

She froze in place. Why was she? The answer popped up right away in her mind, and surprisingly, she didn't want to give it to him. She stared at him blankly, wondering what to answer.

"Well …"

He stood up and walked to her. He took the cup from her hand and smiled.

"Don't fall for me, pretty lady."

"Oh." She looked down and blushed. "I'm afraid ... it appears it's already happened."

She didn't dare looking in his eyes. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

"Sofia," he started.

She looked up and waited for the lecture on the fact that she should not get attached to anyone from this world.

"This is a bad idea," he said, before closing the gap and kissing her.

Sofia shivered all over. She didn't know if it was because of the contrast of the violence he shown her last time and the tenderness he was using now, but she was pretty sure nobody would ever be able to make her body react like that in her own world.

Kankuro blindly tried to put the cup on the table nearby but heard it shatter to the floor, spilling its content. The smart thing to do would have been to stop kissing and pick up the mess, but instead, he just pushed the door closed, with his foot.

* * *

Sasuke hurried his pace within the night. He had this awful feeling. He leaped on Naruto's doorstep and knocked frantically until Naruto opened the door with an angry stare.

"Hey man! What the hell can be so wrong in the middle of the night that you would—"

"Is Sakura here?"

Naruto stared him in the eyes and Hinata came from behind, sleepy.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Why would she be here?" asked Naruto.

"She's not at her house!"

"Sasuke, Sakura's a big girl, she might be somewhere else!"

"It's the middle of the night! Why would she be somewhere else?"

"Maybe she's on a mission?"

"No! I already asked Kakashi!"

Naruto frowned at his teammate. "What is so important that you need her right this moment?"

Sasuke glared at him. He wanted to talk to her. All of this didn't feel right. He didn't feel right. But this was not the point. The point is that she was nowhere to be found.

"It doesn't matter why!"

"Maybe she's with a friend?" Hinata said softly behind Naruto; obviously trying to soothe Sasuke's worries.

That made it worse. Both Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other.

"Maybe she's with that guy?" Naruto suggested. "The one who—"

"I know which one you're talking about! She wouldn't do that! She's not like that!"

"Says who? Didn't he asked her out earlier today?"

Sasuke looked towards the Hokage's Office, hardly imagining Sakura with Yashiko in the guest room.

"No … no, she wouldn't, she's not like that."

"Sasuke, she's a free girl. Whoever she wants to be with, she can—"

"Not on the first night, stupid!"

"Sasuke, I don't know what's going on, but Sakura's right y'know? You need to chill and figure out your feelings, 'cause it's not fair to her."

He looked at Naruto and Hinata, both with a concerned look.

"I'm sorry for coming so late. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Hey man, why don't you crash here for the n—"

"No, it's fine. I have a home to go to."

"Barely," whispered Hinata to Naruto, as Sasuke left in the night. "Naruto, what happened between them?"


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Morning came suddenly with the distant call of a rooster. Abigail did not open her eyes right away. She smiled and kept the nice dream in memory. She squeezed whatever her arms were wrapping and felt his body move. Still, she did not open her eyes. She feared that when she would, morning would truly start and this moment would need to end. She felt his arm come around her shoulder and his chin on top of her head. She smelled the familiar scent of his neck; God, it smelled so good! She hid her face in it.

_Don't open your eyes …_

His body drew even closer, as if to hold her as tightly as possible. She was very well aware of her thigh against his …

It was covered, but she didn't dare to move in the fear of "waking" that part of him. She wondered what would happen. Could it be "awaken" just like that? She was still afraid of that "part" of the relationship. She didn't know what to do, and how to do it. Well … Obviously she knew how … but she didn't "know" how. She wondered if he was thinking about it too. She could hear Sofia's voice in her head, mocking her. "Duhh!" she would say, and that made her smile.

"Good morning," she said, her eyes still closed.

"Hmm" he answered, squeezing tighter.

She brought her head up and kissed him on the lips and he answered back with the same. He opened his eyes and was blinded by the sunshine. He could feel the heat on his face. She opened her eyes and met his gaze at last.

"You know what they will think if they see you get out of this room," he whispered.

She sighed, "Yeah …" and they both smiled.

He stretched out his arms and yawned. He was still wearing all his clothes from the day before, and frankly, didn't remember switching from a sitting position to a lying down one; but sometime during last night, he must have thought: _The hell with that; she's sleeping here tonight._

"We have to get up."

She grumbled in protest and shut her eyes closed tight. Gaara chuckled and kissed her.

"You have training to do."

She sighed and opened her eyes, before sitting down. "Fine," she said, stretching. She grabbed her backpack and kissed him before reaching for the door, but stopped herself, suddenly self conscious. What IF someone saw her walking out of his room?

She looked back at Gaara who was teasingly smiling at her. She couldn't believe how amused he looked! _He's changing … he used to be so serious before, at all times._

She turned her attention back to the door.

She listened and turned the knob gently, and peaked on the other side. She opened the door quickly, went through it swiftly and closed it back without making any noise.

When she turned around to go towards her own room, she came face to face with Sofia who was also sneaking out of Kankuro's room.

The two girls looked at each other in total shock and Sofia snorted and tried to muffle her laughs with her arm on her mouth.

"Sofia?!"

Kankuro suddenly came out of the room as if nothing happened and walked towards the staircase.

"Ho, hey Abigail!" he simply said.

She watched him in horror, unable to make a sound. Sofia giggled and took her hand to lead her towards Aby's room.

"Oh relax! We know you didn't do anything! I was looking for you yesterday and we sneaked a peek in the room and saw the two of you snoring away … with your clothes on! Ha Ha!"

They entered Abigail's room and closed the door behind them. Sofia went straight to the washroom and fixed her hair while Aby watched her.

"Did … did you and Kankuro …"

Sofia shushed her before she could ask anything else.

"I am happy right now; I don't want to start wondering and worrying about stuff … for now."

Abigail kind of knew what she meant, so she didn't push it, but she still couldn't help but stare at her friend. Sofia just hugged her as she came back out, and she could tell; something made her very happy; more than usual. She was especially surprised that she wasn't teasing her about a "missed opportunity".

"So what's for the menu today," she asked instead.

"Oh, well, Lee is first, then I'm not sure … I think Sakura was supposed to show me some basic CPR thing; obviously not chakra related. I think that Naruto and Gaara are last for water training. I heard something about Shikamaru helping with strategies and stuff."

"OH! We should go get Tori and Toshiko and bring them out for breakfast!"

Abigail's eyes lit up. "OH! She can come home?!".

Sofia frowned at "home". She kept quiet but smiled, eventually.

"Yes, shall we go?"

Abigail fixed her hair, brought them into a braid and put on clean clothes, provided by Kakashi. She spared a look at the girl in the mirror; no matter what clothes she wore, she didn't look like a fighter. Once again, she wondered if she could really become as strong as they were.

Sofia seemed satisfied with a double tied ponytail, which surprised Abigail. Both girls left and walked hurriedly towards the hospital and came across a few shinobis who seemed agitated by some event.

* * *

Tori smiled and hugged Abigail and Sofia when she and Toshiko came out. She showed Sofia the puppet that she created and explained what happened to Aby the previous day. Abigail couldn't believe the transformation in Tori. Toshiko seemed on the lookout for something. She asked him discreetly if everything was ok; he answered with a quick nod.

Yashiko, who stood nearby, talking to some shinobis, waved hello when he saw them, but was interrupted by Sasuke who came out of nowhere.

"Where is Sakura?" asked Sasuke, while looking around. Yashiko seemed puzzled by the question.

"I … I don't know," he answered as Naruto joined them.

Sasuke felt shivers in his back. A hint of concern drew itself on his forehead.

"Wasn't she with you last night?"

Yashiko laughed nervously as Sasuke and Naruto seemed to interrogate him, their eyes fixed on him.

"N-No! I didn't see her at all after she …" He lowered his gaze to the ground, hoping he would not upset Sasuke. "I was actually coming to the hospital to see if she was here."

Naruto looked to Sasuke who didn't break his gaze on Yashiko. He turned around and ran inside the hospital.

Sofia touched Sasuke's shoulder and he jumped in fright.

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Is something wrong?" asked Yashiko.

"They haven't seen her!" Naruto yelled as he came out from the hospital gates. "She's not in there!"

"Oh no," murmured Sasuke. He looked around with concern.

"What?" asked Sofia. "Does she have a curfew or something?"

Naruto and Sasuke left, ignoring Sofia, and ran towards the Hokage's Office. Sofia turned to Abigail, hoping to get an answer from Aby. She looked a little concerned as well.

"They are like siblings," she explained, "They are a three men cell, so they trained together, ate together, slept together, until he left them, but that's another story. The point is, they know each other well enough to know if something is wrong."

* * *

Shino stood still beside Naruto and Sasuke. Gaara glanced towards a seemingly calm Sasuke; but he could see through his deep breathing that he was anything but calm; his remaining hand's fingers tapped nervously on the hilt of his sword. If the outside of the man was still as a rock, the inside was a raging tsunami. The thought of the powerful ocean reminded him of Abigail. He shook it off. He had to focus on the issue. He turned to Naruto who was still rambling on to the sixth Hokage about Sakura.

Kankuro tried to figure out why Shino didn't seem to be the least interested in the conversation. His gaze was beyond the Hokage, as if lost in thoughts. He was reminded of how creepy the guy was as an insect crawled up to his neck and entered his ear. Shino twitched, probably in response to some ticklish feeling. Kankuro shivered; his whole body felt scratchy at the thought of thousands of insects crawling in and out of each member of that man. He scratched his arm and grimaced as discreetly as he could.

The disturbing scene made him lose focus on what Naruto was saying, but no matter; Shino stepped forward, pushing his shades goggles back up.

"My insects are still searching, but they found nothing except for a few pink hair strands on the east side of the clearing near the entrance gate of the village. They were tangled within some thorny bush."

"I'm going to check it out," Sasuke said while leaving the Hokage's office.

"Wait! How do we even know they're hers?" asked Kankuro, but Sasuke was already gone.

"They're hers; they matche the DNA in the hair found in her room."

"You had those … bugs search her room?!" Kankuro asked, horrified.

"My insects are trained to investigate, among other things," Shino replied nonchalantly.

"Thanks Shino. Did they notice any signs of struggle?" asked Kakashi.

"No."

"Naruto, Shino, go with Sasuke. She can't be very far …"

"Those in the bush were from yesterday."

"You can even tell that?!" Kankuro asked, surprised.

"Not me; the insects can," he replied before following Naruto and Sasuke outside.

Kankuro turned to Kakashi. "What do you think?"

Kakashi turned to face the window, looking far out of the village, hands in his pockets.

"I don't know. Sakura is not the type to suddenly leave the village without telling anybody."

"She and Sasuke had a quarrel yesterday. Isn't it possible that she needed to cool her head?" asked Gaara.

"Yes ..."

"... But?" added Gaara, hearing the hesitation in Kakashi's voice.

Kakashi sighed. "She would've come back by now."

Sakura was loyal to her duties; she was not one to back out just because of some emotional issues or trying to avoid awkward situations. Those children at the hospital meant a lot to her; if she wasn't going on a mission, that's where she would be.

"I don't know Lord Sixth, that was pretty intense yesterday!" Kankuro said.

"Sakura is intense on a daily basis," he answered with a crack of a smile, still visible through his mask. "_Even against Sasuke, though?_" he thought in the back of his mind.

"Then you think she was attacked." stated Gaara..

"That's the thing … there was no trace of struggle, according to Shino. Sakura is not the kind to be taken by surprise, let alone being taken without a fight …" Kakashi turned around to face the two sand siblings. "I've known Sakura for a long time … it doesn't add up."

They all took a moment to think.

"Unless ... maybe she didn't expect to be attacked …" Gaara wondered.

"Like I said, Sakura is a fine Kunoichi. She can handle any attacker, even if taken by surprise, at least enough to leave some trace … and traces she leaves!" he added, smiling. "Trust me on that, wherever Sakura fights, there will be destruction! She's a monster! Don't tell her I said that …"

"No, what I meant was, maybe she crossed paths with someone she knew and didn't expect to be attacked?"

* * *

Abigail was standing in the deep river that ran through the east of the village. The area was very peaceful. Only the sound of the river and a few birds could be heard; and the sweet smell of the forest could reach her nostrils. This place would have been a wonderful setup for meditation, with the lush green surrounding her and the crystal clear water flowing by; if it wasn't for the current trying to knock her off her feet. It wasn't strong enough that she would be washed away, but she still had a hard time balancing.

Lee stood on the shore, observing as if her training was the most important task in the world. She, however, was getting annoyed. It was nearly impossible to stand still in the chest deep moving water. She thought that anchoring her feet in the rocky floor would make it easier to ground herself, but on the contrary, the splashing water made her lose balance; she had to make an actual effort to free her feet from the rubble, thus making her lose balance.

"Can I get a break?" she asked, impatiently.

"No yet!"

"Lee! It's impossible! The current comes from everywhere around me and pushes me randomly from every side!"

"Aby-san! You give up way too easily! There is 'always' a way! Even if you can't remain completely still, you will become stronger as all the members of your body are working together to keep you standing tall!"

"But why did I have to get in here with my clothes on!"

"To increase the difficulty level."

"IT'S ALREADY DIFFICULT!"

Abigail lost control of her movements again and fell once more in the water, slipping on one of the slippery rocks covering the river ground. Lee closed his eyes and smiled, shaking his head.

"Impatience, anger, skepticism; and all other dark sides of the human brain block you from reaching higher goals and success."

"They also keep you alive in some cases!" she replied while getting back up through the rushing water.

"No! Training keeps you alive!" he said, pointing a finger at her with theatrical skills. "So is hope and perspective! Guy sensei always told me …"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, as his words got lost in the rushing river; his enthusiasm was always the fun part of his character, but now understood the annoyance of his fellow shinobis in his presence.

A shadow moving on the ground near Lee caught her eye. She looked up to see its source; it didn't move like the shadow of a bird. It stopped and moved around randomly, back and forth. But when she searched the sky, she didn't see anything. She looked back at Lee, but the shadow was gone.

"What's wrong?"

"I saw something, but I'm not sure what it was …"

Lee looked around, curious, with his fists on his hips. Aby shrugged her shoulders and focused back on her training.

* * *

The third eye made its way to the gates. It's small size made it very easy to miss, which made for the perfect spying device. But Gaara was not spying on her, he just happened to see her while his third eye was making its way to Naruto's location, in the outskirts of the village. The fact that she almost saw the eye made him smile. He pursued his primary objective and lowered the eye when he spotted golden blond hair hanging out with two other shinobis.

Naruto was kneeling beside Shino, checking the same bush he spoke of earlier. Not even a single twig was cracked.

Sasuke stood nearby, looking around. "Not so much as a trace of dragging or fighting." He looked onward toward the road that led out of the village. "People come and go everyday in this area. It's impossible to know which one of those footprints are hers."

"My insects are still looking," Shino said. "But this is the farthest they found something from her."

"Maybe she just passed by and she scratched her head and a few strands flew into the bush?" tried Naruto. "There's nothing here!"

"It would make sense, but …" Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that something happened. "Why didn't she come back? There is not a single trace of her anywhere!"

"It's as if she passed by and then vanished." Shino said nonchalantly.

Sasuke nodded, then realized something. "Vanished …"

Shino looked beyond Sasuke, at a clutter of relatively medium size moths coming towards him.  
Something was entangled within their scrawny legs. Or rather, they were working together to bring something to him. He held out his hand as Naruto and Sasuke watched. What the moths dropped in, was a tiny keychain figurine with pink hair, holding weapons.

"That's …" Naruto observed the figurine in Shino's hand.

"It's Sakura's! Sofia gave it to her!" Sasuke said.

One of the moths flippity flopped to Shino's ear for a few seconds and then left. Shino walked a few meters past the bush and to the edge of the dense forest. He pointed downward with his finger as he walked further in, to show Naruto and Sasuke faint footprints in the dry dirt. Sasuke followed and kneeled down, touching the prints.

"Only one person though …"

"In this particular place, away from the main road; do you think it's Sakura's? Asked Naruto.

"It's possible, but hard to say … it's definitely a kunoichi's, judging by the size of it …"

"Or a kid?"

"I doubt it."

"The kunoichi's footprints end here," said Shino. "But another came from the forest, facing the kunoichi's. Both footprints stopped here." Shino looked up to see Gaara's third eye; it was spinning here and there, seemingly looking where they were looking, before looking back at Shino. He held the keychain with fingertips for the eye to see.

"My doubts run slim; I'm pretty sure that's where she was taken," he said to it.

* * *

Gaara held his fingers over his left eye, his third eye was connected to his optical nerves so he could see what the eye saw and hear what they said.

"They are saying she was taken," he said to the Hokage. "Or so, it seems that way."

Gaara released his jutsu and moved his fingers away from his left eye, regaining his normal vision. Somewhere out there, the third eye disintegrated into dust and flew with the wind.

"That's it? No other information?" asked Kankuro.

"They found her keychain. Only her footprints were facing another pair of footprints; that's it. Nothing else, no other footprints, except those on the main road. No fight, nothing."

"Like they vanished,"

"VANISHED!" Kankuro yelled louder than he meant to. Kakashi watched him perplexed. Kankuro looked back at him. "The three guys we encountered the first time around, I had them tied tightly. I left them for 1 second, literally! They vanished out of thin air! The ties were left on the ground, still bound!"

"Then we encountered them again on our way here," added Gaara. "They suddenly appeared, taking us by surprise." Kakashi nodded with interest. He remembered them saying that.

"But you said you killed them all,"

Gaara clenched both fists and seemed lost in thoughts for an instant. He looked up at Kakashi.

"Lord sixth, the man I told you about; The one from the other world. Shukaku saw him with the three other men. But when we defeated them, that one was not among them."

"Maybe he got killed?" suggested Kankuro.

A thought flashed across Gaara's eyes for a moment, and his face showed concern.

"Yashiko!"

The shinobi jumped at the sudden mention of his name and straightened up, waiting for the command.

"Go find Abigail right away and bring her back here! She is with Lee training on the river side, south east near the gate!" Yashiko nodded and ran out. Gaara looked perplexed for a moment; the feeling that he should have gone himself overwhelmed him. But he had to stay with the Hokage for the time being. Their discussion was not over yet, not until Kakashi said otherwise.

"Gaara, you know she is safe here! She is surrounded by Shinobis—"

"This is something different. I do not doubt your men, but these guys back there seemed to be after her; they were able to vanish and appear out of thin air. Now someone is doing the same thing and took someone as strong as Sakura. I think we are underestimating the danger."

He looked to Kankuro who nodded in response and left as well, following Yashiko's. Kakashi frowned and nodded as well.

"All right, I think you're right. We need to figure this out and fast; her training might actually be dangerous if not done strategically. Whoever is out there and took Sakura, he or she might be back for Abigail."

Kakashi sat back on the chair and closed his eyes. If they wanted to kill Sakura, they would have most likely left her on the road. But if they took her … what did they need her for?

* * *

Kankuro ran in the direction that Yashiko took. His eyes diverted to a bunch of kids that were running and screaming while playing; when he looked forward again, a random tree branch met him square in the face; making him fall flat on his back. The stars dancing around his head took some time to leave.

"What the …"

He sat back slowly and looked up at the tree in front of him, which inconveniently rose several feet above the ground. It seemed old and full, even bearing little fruits; and yet, he could have swore that it was never there before. It seemed to have been planted right in the middle of the path.

A passersby stared at him in disbelief, not daring to offer a hand as the Sunagakure shinobi rose to his feet. Blood ran down from his forehead. He turned to the person that was struggling to hold a few baguettes of bread and scrolls under her arm. He pushed back his hood over his head.

"I'm not crazy, right? That tree was not there before, right?"

The woman looked between him and the tree and moved on, too afraid to admit that the tree did indeed, just appear out of nowhere.

Kankuro looked down and noticed a few footsteps who seemed to have vanished beyond the tree.

"Son of a …"

* * *

Abigail threw a series of punches and kicks, targeting Lee's hands. High, low, wherever he put them, she had to reach, randomly, without losing a beat. It was fun, but exhausting. She was still wet from the river; which kept her cool under the sun. If she would have asked, Lee would've probably said that the wet clothes added some weight on her, "increasing the difficulty level". He suddenly changed tactics, counter kicking her, targeting her rib-cage, barely touching it. His control was out of this world. He explained to her that whenever someone attacked, she always had to counter with two more; no matter what.

"Don't worry about the strength of the throw for now. Just make sure you hit the critical spots! And Breathe!"

Abigail smiled as Lee encouraged her and praised her every time she would be on the edge of collapsing. A voice called out to them in the distance. Yashiko reached them with a concerned look on his face. He slowed down by Lee. Abigail took that opportunity to let herself fall onto the ground and catch her breath, her arms and legs spread out wide.

"Oof! Gaara sent me … He … wants me to ... bring Miss Abigail back ... to the Hokage's office,"

Lee and Abigail looked at each other.

"Why?" asked Aby.

"Something came up, they think you are in danger!"

Lee stepped forward. "She's fine with me!"

"I don't doubt it! I've heard of your exploits!" he smiled while catching his breath. "You might not know … Gaara has a thing for miss Aby! I think he is overprotective of her," he added with a wink. He approached Abigail and lowered his hands to take hers.

A kunai flew right in between and pierced the ground a few inches away.

"Hands off her, Yashiko!" Kankuro stood in a fighting stance beside Lee who was too surprised to say anything. "And it's 'Lord Gaara'... you are no one to refer to him in such an informal way!"

Yashiko smiled after a few seconds. His formal and bodyguard attitude dropped like an iron plate, sending chills to Aby who crawled away and stood up. He grabbed her hand before she could run, and Kankuro growled.

"You should reconsider that move … You know Gaara will not appreciate you touching his girl!"

"How did you know? How did you figure it out?" Yashiko said, chuckling.

"Well, the tree you put right in my face to stop me in my tracks was an obvious one, and your footprints … they just disappeared like Sakura's; but mainly, my gut feeling … Now that I look back, you're "incompetence" while being Gaara's personal bodyguard, is very unusual. I doubt the Damyo would have chosen a kid who falls asleep when he's supposed to guard the Kazekage. But tell me, how did you put the tree there? I've seen earth style jutsu before … but never a full grown tree …"

Yashiko chuckled. "That's my secret, for now." He pulled Abigail in front of him, twisting her hand in her back. The searing pain made her move however he wanted her to move. She would have to learn how to do that! She then remembered something. "Turn your opponent's momentum against him or her, " She was afraid to move. If she did, she would fall on him with her hand in her back and more likely break her wrist. Once again, she felt weak and her confidence was lost. Moreover, she was very confused by the sudden change of wind; Who was this guy?! Why was he doing that? He must have been very cunning to have betrayed the Kazekage right under his nose. She teared up at the thought. Gaara trusted him!

She heard a "shhhhiiiinnng" followed by the flash of a shuriken that ripped open Yashiko's white sleeve. His exposed skin revealed a tattoo of a USA flag with a soldier's helmet resting on the finial. Aby yelped in surprise, her eyes on the tattoo.

_He's from our world?!_

"Dammit! I missed," said Naruto. He stood low on the ground while Sasuke passed him and Shino, walking towards Yashiko, observing the situation with Abigail; calculating …

"It's getting a little crowded in here," Yashiko said, trying to keep his cool.

"THAT'S HIM! THAT'S OUR GUY!" Kankuro yelled at Sasuke.

"Where is she?" He asked calmly.

"Who?"

"You know who." Sasuke replied.

"Come on you bastard! Stop messing around! Where's Sakura!" Naruto shouted, pissed.

"Ohhh … the pretty pink hair girl!" Yashiko turned to Sasuke who was starting to lose his countenance. "You know for a guy who rejected her, you're pretty possessive!"

"That's got nothing to do with you. She's our teammate; you better tell us where she is, right now; and she better be safe!" He took out his sword and pointed it straight at his face. Yashiko chuckled, still holding on to Abigail.

"You know you drove her mad yesterday! I just wanted to comfort her. You made it so easy! Her lips, man! They're so soft! So is her skin!"

"You …"

"Relax Sasuke, he's messing with you," Naruto said before Sasuke could do any move.

"Why would I be messing with him? He plainly said he wasn't into the girl! So I went for it! Who wouldn't?! She's a hot kitty!"

Abigail glanced at everybody surrounding them. Nobody made a move, obviously because of her; because of the fear that he might do something to her. She had to stay calm.

That idea came to her again. If he was expecting her to escape, he would expect her to try to move forward or sideways. But he would not expect her to back up on him. She knew she would get hurt, but it was a chance she had to take. A few hours of pain in exchange for the safety of all, including hers.

Kakashi and Gaara came at last. Kakashi put both hands on his hips.

"Well, I didn't see that coming! Did you?" he asked, turning to Gaara.

Surprise, was an understatement. His face was frozen in a state of shock. Was he the enemy? All this time, right under his nose? How?! Not only he had no clue, but he sent him straight to Abigail! If Kankuro hadn't been there ... For the first time he was speechless and didn't know where to go from there. He had so many questions.

Kakashi stared for a few seconds before turning his gaze back to Yashiko.

"Judging by his face, I don't think he saw it coming either," he said, calmly.

"Well, it was nice chatting to y'all, but I think there's no more reason for me to stick around. Oh, and I need the girl, so …"

"No wait! Let her go!" Gaara said.

"Oh man … it's sad to see you like that Lord Gaara! Really?! All this for a girl? You're gonna lose your composure for a girl?" Yashiko squeezed Aby's hand more and she started to struggle.

"Let go!" she said, between a plea and a threat.

"Can't do that; You have to open the door."

"What are you talking about! That's what I'm training for! AHHHRRRRG," she screamed when he twisted her wrist. If she kept going, he would break it.

"Aby!" Gaara yelled. "Don't move! Don't worry, we'll figure something out!"

She tried to pull away from him. As expected, he yanked her back toward him. However, she did not resist; on the contrary, she pushed back on her assailant. Yashiko, as she hoped for, fell backwards as a result, with Aby on top of him. His vision temporarily blackened when he hit his head on the ground.

She felt the crunch of her wrist under her weight and the pain blinded her and took her breath away; the pain ran from her wrist to her elbow and reached the extremities of her fingers. Her scream echoed around, but she managed to roll out of the way. By the time he got up, Naruto and Sasuke were already on him.

Gaara ran to her. She couldn't move. The pain and the sight of her hand made her want to vomit. His expression changed back to threatening.

"I'll be back," he whispered. He walked towards the trio as slowly as a tiger about to pounce on its prey. Sand surrounded his body and hardened so that he could barely breathe, let alone speak.

"Wait! We need to know where Sakura is!" said Sasuke with anger.

"He can still speak," he answered back, his eyes and voice as cold as ice.

"Barely," struggled to say Yashiko with an amused smile on his face.

It took Gaara all his might to loosen the grip on him.

"Relax," Yashiko said, "She's right here, see?"

They all turned to where he was pointing. There, on the other side of the river stood Sakura, alone. Her eyes were darker than usual. She didn't move, nor say anything. Sasuke observed her with narrowed eyes.

"Something's wrong," he said.

"Sakura!" called Naruto, "Are you all right?"

Her eyes were fixed on them, but her face showed no expression.

Sasuke brought his sword to Yashiko's neck, his Sharingan activated, at last.

"What have you done to her! Speak!"

His sight activated, he didn't have to look back to see the kunai heading his way. He dodged it and sent a warning towards Gaara, who was already jumping out of the way.

Two more kunais were thrown, followed by three, all stopped by Naruto and Kankuro.

Sakura jumped over the river and her landing fist made a big dent in the dirt, followed by a trail of cracks that stretched a good 30 feet away, near Kakashi. She ran toward Abigail as if she was her primary target, with a shortsword in her hand. Shino intercepted her with a few kicks followed by a swarm of insects, grasping the shortsword that Sakura was holding. She let go of it and pushed through the swarm, swinging a spin kick at Shino's right eye. He dodged it fby somersaulting backward and pushed back on his feet again. However Sakura was once again on Abigail's hunt. She was intercepted by Gaara, Naruto and Sasuke who fought to deviate her course more than to cause her harm.

"Sakura! Come on, wake up!" Yelled Naruto, while trying to avoid her blows.

They became speechless when her attack turned to Sasuke. Her stare was cold and determined. It's as if she didn't recognize any of them; she had one objective and she would kill if they got in her way. She punched and back kicked, countered his blocks and managed to plant a kunai in his shoulder. He dropped his sword instantly as the nerves in his shoulder reminisced an old wound. He was barely able to teleport himself out of harm's way to avoid a kunai coming at his head. He reappeared 10 feet away, within a second, his arm resting on his bended knee. Sakura sighed with annoyance and decided to get back to her primary target.

Gaara stood, once more in front of Abigail. He wanted to tell her to run, but she wasn't able to move. She was not used to this kind of pain. Her face was as pale as the moon, and she was staring at everyone, horrified.

Gaara had to defend himself. Doing so loosened his sand's grip on Yashiko who freed himself from it. He cracked his neck and watched everybody trying to reason with Sakura. Another smile stretched on his face, and he took a notebook and a pencil from his pocket.

No one was looking, but Abigail. She looked at Yashiko who looked back at her, before lowering his eyes on the pad once more.

Kankuro was able to slip behind Sakura and restrained her.

"Sakura! What's wrong with you! It's us! It's me! Naruto!"

Sakura did not struggle, her eyes were blank, soulless.

"It's like she's under a mind jutsu!" said Kankuro.

Gaara suddenly seemed to choke. His eyes grew larger and he fell on the ground, blinded by a sharp pain in his chest. His lungs were not responding and his muscles stiffened.

Abigail screamed and reached out for him, crawling on three, holding her arm up.

"Gaara! Gaara, what's wrong!"

He could not say a word. Sakura jumped away from Kankuro who was distracted by his brother's sudden agony, and landed beside Yashiko. He stopped writing and looked at Kankuro, while Gaara's sand puffed here and there and seemed to swirl in a random mess all around him.

"This," Yashiko said, showing off his notepad, "is the secret I was talking of!"

"I don't get it! What … What the hell did you do!" He yelled, kneeling beside his brother, completely helpless.

"You," Aby started, shaking, suddenly understanding, "you're a writer?"

"A few words can change things that quickly!" he said, pointing to Gaara.

Gaara went from pain to seizure, seizing on the ground, foam coming out of his mouth.

"STOP IT!" Aby pleaded.

"Oh! 'Sure! Let's see," he said, taking his notepad once more. "How should I end this? A heart attack? An explosion from within? A bolder landing on his head?"

"No Stop! PLEASE STOP! I'LL GO WITH YOU!" she cried.

A shuriken struck the notepad out of Yashiko's hand.

"That won't be necessary," answered Akio. Gaara relaxed on the ground, unconscious, as Akio shut his own notepad closed. Matthew ran and planted himself in front Sakura and Yashiko, which was not a wise decision, given his lack of experience. However, neither of them moved.

Hazel went to meet her friend. "Aby! Your hand!" she said horrified at the sight of the purpleish, swollen flesh.

But Aby was crying. She hunched over Gaara who was no longer moving.

Akio moved beside Matthew, while Kakashi checked Gaara's vitals.

"He's alright, but his body went through a lot," he said, looking at Yashiko, concerned about this new powerful threat. "It seems he can do a lot just by writing in that notebook, including killing someone."

The shinobis surrounded Yashiko and Sakura. She stared down, without emotion, as if she was a robot waiting for further instructions.

"So you're the culprit! Akio said before spitting on the ground. Shame! Using the writing gift for the purpose of interfering in a story that does not belong to you! You are not worthy!"

"Oh please! Don't be so self righteous!" he laughed.

"Why? What do you want?" Akio asked with disdain.

Yashiko laughed hysterically. He obviously had no intention of revealing anything.

Akio stepped forward. "Fine, have it your way! Give the key back."

"I don't have it."

Yashiko stiffened when the cold blade of a kunai was placed on the back of his neck. He gazed back and saw three of Naruto's shadow clones, the middle one was holding the kunai.

"Cut the crap," it said.

"I ain't saying no crap, I don't have your key." he smiled.

"He's telling the truth," Shino said. "My insects already searched him.

"Why are you doing this! What are you after!" yelled Abigail.

He stared back at her. "This is bigger than me. There's a reason why the last Grand Gatekeeper was killed."

"So I was right! He was killed!" Akio exclaimed

"Yes! And she will too as soon as we're done with her!"

"We?" asked Abigail, ignoring the threat.

Once again, Akio laughed. "You have no idea what you got yourself into!"

"Tell me!" she defied. She rose on her shaking feet, the pain still stabbing her arm and made a few steps forward. "What the hell do you need me for?!"

"Conquer,"

"Conquer?! Conquer what? This world?"

He laughed. "This world is just a page in the book of creation! I'm talking about all of them! All the realms written by the chosens! Imagine! Opening this world's secrets to the real world! Our world! I will be the first one to expose it! My name will be in history books! I'll be the guy who enabled our world to fuse with the rest of them! We can travel through them whenever we want, create whatever we want! Imagine the possibilities! No more food or water shortage in Africa! We just create it by creating a world for that purpose! Another world to create a new brand of army! Our country will become even more powerful!"

"Have you lost your mind? We'll never let you do this!" Shouted Naruto.

"We've taken care of worse than you," added Kakashi.

Yashiko laughed hysterically. "Yeah … as far as you know! I'm just a man! You have not seen our soldiers yet! HAHAHA We have created you, which means we can destroy you just as easily! He pointed to Gaara who slowly was regaining consciousness. "I've played a little, now let me show you how easy it is to kill one of you …"

He took his notebook back from the ground, removed the kunai and scratched a few more words in it. Gaara stiffened again; but was kept between life and death, thanks to Akio, who was also scratching words in his notebook. They were like two wizards, fighting, not with staffs, but with notebooks.

"Stop it! I won't let you do that!" Abigail said, feeling anger rising in her.

"Oh girl, not only you have no choice, but your state makes you perfect for our surprise attack! You're not strong enough to fight back, but powerful enough to open the door. They will not see this coming!"

Akio frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Who's they?! He didn't have time to ask though. Abigail lifted her unharmed arm to the sky and with an angry shout, sent a wave flying to Yashiko, as if she threw a ball.

"WAVE CRASH!" is the first thing that came through her mind.

The wave from the river surprised him; raging over Abigail's little body, it hit him like a concrete wall, making him fly along the river. He landed a few feet away, rolling in the water like a helpless mouse in raging rapids. His head hit a rock in the water and he rolled some more before stopping.

His broken body, floated faced down in the water a few meters down, while his legs grounded him on the shore. He did not get up. A streak of blood ran down the current of the river, from his head.

It took a few seconds for Aby to realize that Yashiko was dead. She let herself fall on her knees. Hazel shook her and called out to her, but all she could do was stare at Yashiko's body.

"I killed him,"

"Abigail!"

The words and frenzi around her was a blur. Her hands rested on the ground beside her; attached to her body. She couldn't feel anything.

"I killed him," she repeated.

Kankuro and Kakashi towered over Gaara, calling out his name. Matthew and Hazel did the same with Abigail.

Naruto grunted as he and Lee turned Yashiko's body over.

Sasuke stared where Sakura stood before. She was gone again.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Gaara sat on the ground, his legs wide open, holding his head with one hand and the other resting on the ground. Two medics were tending to him with chakra healing. He was feeling very weak and couldn't talk without slurring. One of them urged him to just relax. His brain, no, his entire body got hacked from within. He wasn't his own for those few minutes when Yashiko used that notebook.

Ino was tending to Sasuke's shoulder, also applying healing chakra. She said something to him, but he was not listening. He looked down at a group of ants following a structured path back to their anthill, carrying stuff; Sasuke didn't really care to focus on what it was they were carrying. They were feeding their colony; good for them.

Abigail was crying, but not because of her wrist. In fact, the pain was pretty much gone. It felt scorching hot at first, then the healing chakra reached the smallest veins in her arm, fixing any little abnormalities. Then her fingers became numb, and she was soon able to move every inch of her hand and rotate her wrist. Matthew and Hazel were crouched down beside her, hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

Sai watched her friend Sofia bring water to her and her friends. Naruto was talking to Kakashi, standing beside Sasuke who was in his own world. He looked around, holding on to the notepad that Yashiko had. What the hell was going on? They had seen much, much worse than that before. Yet, this one guy who died so easily, his actions had such repercussions that the finest shinobis seemed to have been left in a state of shock. They all look as if they came out of a war zone.

He ran through the pages with an inquisitive look. One police officer joined him while more searched the body.

The last page was interesting; giving Gaara's condition; "(_Gaara's felt a searing pain in his chest, stumbled to the ground, unable to breathe …)" _Sai glanced toward the Kazekage before looking down once more, reading below a rip that was made, according to Naruto, by his kunai. "(_Gaara was barely breathing when his brain shut down entirely, leaving all the nerves in his body running loose, like a short circuit. Foam is coming out of his mouth and, although unconscious, he is drawing his last bre—")_ The line was cut short and Sai shivered as he realized what would have happened if the remaining three letters would have been written.

"You should destroy that page," said Akio.

"Mr. Daisuke?"

"Just for precaution, so nobody finishes that sentence."

Sai contemplated the page before ripping the page out and ripping it further in tiny little pieces and letting them flying in the wind, towards the river.

"May I see your notepad Mr. Daisuke?"

Akio watched him with obvious reluctance, but handed his notepad. Sai examined the writer's pages. None of them had any form of attack in them, but the last page was an obvious attempt at saving Gaara.

"I'll have to keep it for some time, along with his. I'll need your pen as well.

"I can't give you the pen, I'm sorry," he said with genuine apology.

"I'm afraid I have to insist. These notepads and pens are too dangerous to be circulating around. He almost killed Sunagakure's leader, and that's not a small feat, believe me on that."

"I understand, but because of that very reason, I trust no one to hold this pen, except for me. No offense. In fact, I would kindly ask you to hand the other pen to me. You may keep the notepads; they're not a factor in changing the story. The pens however ..."

"The perpetrator is dead, why are you so worried about the pens?"

"For the same reason you are, captain. Moreover, Yashiko said at some point that there were more people. I cannot give you the pen. One almost killed a man. Who knows what someone else could do while we're not looking."

"That is why I need the pens!"

"Sai, it's ok, let him have his pen," Kakashi said as he approached them.

"I need the other one too Hokage Sama," Akio said.

Kakashi turned to him with a serious glare. "We will keep the other one Master Daisuke; safely guarded and locked away, until we figure out what is going on."

Akio knew by his expression that they would not see any other way. He forced a smile and put back the pen in his satchel. "Have it your way, but Do. Not. Write. With the pen."

"Understood," Sai nodded as he walked away toward Gaara.

He was breathing easier now, but was still dizzy and weak. He watched Abigail sideways and she caught his gaze for a few seconds. He was distracted by Sai who approached him.

"How are you feeling Lord Gaara?"

He lifted his eyes to the sky as an answer and rested his head on his head. The migraine wasn't going anywhere. He grunted when a lady medic touched his head with both hands. She blushed a little.

"Sorry Lord Kazekage, I'll take care of that migraine for you." She planted herself in front of him, his head still in her hands and looked right in his eyes. He felt warmth going through his skull and the pressure finally released little by little. He closed his eyes and let her do her job. She blushed once more when he rested his head in her hands. The subsiding pain was such a relief!

How's that now?" She asked shyly and enchanted.

"Much better," he mumbled, "Thanks Abigail."

She sighed and her partner medic giggled when she helped him get to his feet.  
"Man, I'd like to have a handsome man calling out my name once in a while!" she said to her partner with a pout.

With Kankuro's help, they managed to make their way to the hospital, again. Aby's friends did the same with her. She was physically ok, but mentally, she was a mess. She couldn't shake the picture of the dead man. The man that she killed. Naruto, Lee, and Kakashi followed them. Sasuke meant to do the same, but kept looking at his surroundings.

"We'll find her," Shino said, putting his hand on his shoulder, then followed the rest of the group.

* * *

Abigail sat on Gaara's bed, looking out the window. Sai and Kakashi were in the room, and so was Akio. One of the nurses gave Gaara a glass of water, and insisted on Abigail getting one as well. She thanked the nurse and sipped, still looking out the window.

Gaara lazily looked through the notebook that Sai handed him.

"So, he used the notebook to get the daimyo to appoint him to my personal bodyguard," he said while gritting his teeth. "That was a few months ago," he added as he tossed the notebook on the bed.

"What else did he do?" asked Kakashi.

"I don't know … a lot of scribbles are in there," he answered. "Wait something about a tree in the middle of the path …"

"Oh! Well, that explains the tree in the middle of the main road near my office!" said Kakashi

"I don't know how old this notebook is. Who knows when he started all that."

"May I have a look?" asked Akio. Gaara shrugged and handed the book over to him.

"He had a tattoo with our country flag," suddenly said Abigail.

Akio lifted his eyes towards her, "Wait, that would mean …"

"He's from our world," she said.

"No that can't be," objected Gaara. "He had chakra flowing in him. I would have noticed if there was none. Everybody would have."

"How would you explain the tattoo then," she asked. "It said "God bless America", it was pretty patriotic too."

"How would that be possible?" said Kakashi. "I thought writers were from your world? Yet he was from ours?"

"I don't think he's a writer," Akio said after a few seconds of silence. They all turned to him. "Anyone can write something if you give them the pen. That doesn't mean they are writers. My gut feeling is that he was in possession of 'a' pen and used it. However, he seems to have been trained somehow," he added while going through the pages. "I mentioned it before; it is very dangerous to write with a writer's p—" Akio stopped talking and read some of the scribbles, then looked up at Abigail.

"What?" she asked. "What did you find?"

"I understand now," he said with a gasp. "He tried to open the door using the pen, while one was holding the key. That is how we came here. That is how the gate was opened!"

"What?" Gaara and Kakashi said.

"Let me see that!" Sai took the notebook from Akio's hands.

"I guess he thought that creating a situation where a random person would have the power to open the gate with the key would be possible!"

"_(The key of power wouldn't awake without it's owner, but he had the divine power within to open the portal, and thus, it was opened!")_ Sai read out loud.  
_  
_"The pen doesn't grant such power," Akio shook his head. "A writer would know that; or at least, not the power expected. The gate was opened, but not contained. Only the gatekeeper can contain it. That is why we handed up the way we did. Also, he made another mistake. Who's 'he'? It could have been anybody! The outcome would not have changed though … Still … it was a clever idea ..."

Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose. "It can't be! He was with us the whole time when the earthquake happened!"

"That was not him," said Sai. "The handwriting changes from time to time."

"But still, how did he get a tattoo from the other world?" wondered Kakashi.

"A loophole," answered Akio. "Very unlikely, but it is the only answer I can offer. Unless …"

"Someone from our world opened the gate and let him in," said Abigail.

They turned to her and Akio smiled. "Yes, that would be a more suitable answer!"

"But there was no other earthquake before that … I mean, not as bad as that one with the lights and stuff." Kakashi said.

"Which means that the gate was opened the right way, including with the right gatekeeper." Said Akio, thinking out loud.

"Or forced to open it," Aby said, looking out the window once more. "How long ago was it you said, when you crossed paths with the person who handed the key to you?"

"A little over a year ago."

The room fell silent. Gaara could see Aby's thoughts circling around in her head.

"Wait!" Sai exclaimed. "The notes! '_(chakra pour down in Anthony's core, spreading to every veins, flowing within every blood cell, and thus fooling every shinobi in the land of wind. Thus, he became Yashiko."_

Gaara tightened his fists.

"So," Aby started after a while, "The Grand Gatekeeper of this world was somehow forced to open the gate, probably taken captive for reasons we might not know yet. This guy came in with the help of another writer. The Grand Gatekeeper must have closed back the gate and somehow was able to escape. Couldn't find any help, or didn't have time. He saw you, gave you the key and … died at some point."

"The pieces are coming back together, slowly but surely. If that is what happened, you have good instincts," Akio said.

"Yes, it seems to make sense," said Sai. Kakashi nodded as well. "I'll take a closer look. Akio, I would like to ask you some questions if you don't mind. I really need to understand how that gatekeeper and writer works."

Akio nodded and they both left, leaving Kakashi, Gaara and Abigail. She looked at Gaara. He seemed angry. Who wouldn't be. He looked up and saw both of them looking at him.

"Right under my nose," he said, before throwing the pillow across the room. Abygail jumped at the burst of anger. Kakashi on the other end, smirked under his mask.

"Bahhh, it happens to all of us Lord Gaara, don't take it too hard on yourself," he said before leaving.

Gaara couldn't look at Abigail. She thought she had a feeling why.

"You didn't know, Gaara, you couldn't have!"

"I sent him straight to you. If Kankuro hadn't followed—"

"Gaara! How were you supposed to know?! How was anyone supposed to know?! He played his part so well!"

"It was my job to know. I'm the Kazekage! I'm supposed to protect everybody."

"You're just a man, you can't have an answer for everything." She lowered her eyes and looked out the window again. "I meant to kill him. I was angry, scared. But then he died and …"

Gaara watched her and put a hand on her head. "You saved my life; and probably prevented more lives to be taken later on."

She sniffed, unable to say another word. Why was she feeling so sorry for killing a person that didn't hesitate to kill others? Would she have to do that again? This was something that could not be rectified. Once you are dead, that's it! You can't bring the person back. It's forever.

"Aby, just …" he didn't quite know what to say. He was glad he was dead. Moreover, he used to kill for much less than that when he was younger. He was very lucky, unlike that guy, he was able to see the value in all lives. Instead of training to kill, he trained to live. "Aby, you can still make sure it doesn't happen in the future, even though it is likely you'll have to do it again; the more you train, the more you can control your power and your emotions as well. But Aby," he moved a strand of hair from her face. "You saved my life …"

She wiped the tears from her face. "Akio did," she corrected.

"Who knows how long he would have lasted. He postponed it. You finished it."

He kissed her head and put his forehead against her. "You did nothing wrong."

"Every time someone attacks me, you almost die!" she cried.

"Not for much longer, Aby. Soon, I know it, you'll hold your ground."

She cried more. She was tired. She didn't want to do this anymore. She wasn't sure his words would reach her. This was a different threat. There were so many more questions.

"_You don't even know what you got yourself into!" _That's what he said. "_That is so much bigger than me, than everything!" _She felt she was running out of time. She was supposed to be back to her grand-mother. They were all supposed to be back. It should have been just a trip to Japan.

She felt alone. Even with her friends around. Even with Gaara and Naruto, she was alone.

_No quite,_ she remembered. _Akio knows a little of what I'm supposed to be._

She got up to leave, Gaara watched her, perplexed.

"I need a moment for myself. I need to digest all this. I need to reflect on everything."

Gaara watched her rise up and she saw concern on his forehead, brief.

"O, Okay," he said. Her heart skipped a beat. _He's worried! OMG he is worried about what I mean! And he's trying not to let it show!_

She smiled and kissed him. "I'll see you tomorrow." she said, her forehead against his.

* * *

"Looking at the notebook further, it seems Akio was the cause of Abigail and Chris running into those thugs while they were sight-seeing," whispered Akio.

The kids were sleeping on Sofia's bed. Sofia, Hazel and Matthew were sitting on the bed, while Akio sat on a chair nearby, facing backwards, his hands resting on its back. The sun was setting and they were eating some bbq'd porc from take out, and slurping noodles.

"So, I guess that guy wasn't to blame after all," Kankuro said, standing against the night stand in the corner.

"Don't tell your brother yet," said Sofia with a wink.

"Nah," he started with a smile, "I'm sure he realized that by now, but still, it'd probably be wise not to turn the blade in, so to speak. But why would Yashiko deliberately put Abigail in danger if he needed her to open the gate?"

"Maybe to make sure to keep suspicions away from him?" suggested Matt.

"That could be! Everybody was suspicious of Chris after that!" said Sofia.

"Nah …" Kankuro shook his head. "Unless these guys were meant to kidnap her, but their idea was pretty much set on raping and killing her, according to Gaara."

Hazel had goosebumps running down her spine.

"I'm glad that this Gaara guy was there to save her. How is he?" she asked, carressing Toshiko's hair. The boy kept snoring gently with a faint smile on his face.

"He'll be fine, although he's had his fair share of trouble in the last few weeks!" he laughed. "If he was bored, well, now he isn't anymore!"

"Still," Hazel reflected. "Abigail is changing. Did you see what she did with that wave?"

"And in just a short time at that!" added Kankuro, impressed. "I don't know in your world, but in here, it takes years of practice to become a shinobi. Now, I know she ain't one, but she's becoming pretty strong for a newby!"

"She is different from all of us," explained Akio. "She is meant to fight and she has that power that she has yet to unlock. When she does, it will be like watching a phoenix coming out of a caterpillar cocoon!"

"You mean a butterfly?" asked Hazel.

Tori turned around and hugged her brother's arm, bringing her knees higher against her stomach. "Pretty butterfly," she whispered in her sleep.

"No, a phoenix." He replied quietly. "I would have said dragon, but dragons are represented by men in Asian cultures. Phoenixes are represented by women! Either way! I hope I'll be there to witness it!" he said with sparkling eyes that made Sofia giggle.

"How do you do those puppets again?" she said while ripping the napkins from the take out.

"Certainly not like that!" He said grinning. he held the chopsticks between his teeth and picked up another napkin.

"Where's your other ugly puppet?" she asked while returning his grin.

"It's getting a beauty sleep. How's your training going?" he asked her. She grimaced while putting a tiny piece of pork in her mouth. He suddenly found the way she ate to be very attractive. Like a little bird.

"I didn't have much time due to the events today."

"You're not missing much," laughed Hazel while slurping some more noodles.

"Yes she is," said Kankuro with a frown. "This is serious you guys, you need to know how to defend yourselves. Especially Abigail and you," he pointed to Sofia. "You're the one with the least training at this point. Abigail is a target right now. And to my understanding, this fact is not about to go away anytime soon. That will put you guys in danger as well as long as you're around her."

"You say that as if it's her fault!" complained Sofia.

He looked her in the eyes. "Of course not, but the fact is, you might find yourself in a position when we are not around and I ... We'd be much more at ease if you knew how to defend yourself."

" ... I understand," she said while eating another piece of grilled pork. "I'll do the best I can,"

" ... Thank you," he said before unlocking their eyes.

Hazel watched the exchange with curiosity. The hooded guy and Sofia?

"I feel like everything changed since we ended up here," she said. "And nothing will ever be the same."

"You are probably right!" said Akio with enthusiasm.

"Where is Aby?" asked Matt.

* * *

Abigail laid on her borrowed bed and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She needed to clear her head; to untangle the mess of thoughts. Throw out what needed to be thrown out. She sat down.

_**First step: let go of what you can't control, so you can focus of what you can control.**_

Yes, they were supposed to be back. Yes, people were probably worried about them. Yes, things kept happening without warnings and people were getting hurt. It doesn't do anything to complain and cry about it. _I need to stop worrying about the past and work to adapt to the present and future._

_**Step two: Stop wondering about how things happened and deal with the facts now.**_  
_I'm a Grand Gatekeeper. God made it this way, it would be rude to question his motives._

_**Step three: So you are a Grand Gatekeeper. Sort out the facts. What do you know?**_

She nodded to herself and grabbed a notepad and a pencil on the nightstand beside her bed. She wrote down everything she could remember Akio said that she was, what she was supposed to do and what she was supposed to be able to accomplish. Writing things down helped her focus and make things clearer.

She took a moment and decided to do the same with what they knew about the enemy. What they were trying to accomplish, the possible reasons and the things that Yashiko … no … Anthony, said that was still unclear.

Then she took another moment and made a list of what she was supposed to accomplish while staying here, and what she was meant to do as a Grand Gatekeeper.  
_\- Train (duh)_  
_\- Figure out where Chris is (Gaara won't be happy about that one)_  
_\- Find the key and give it to Akio (he said something about not giving me the key just yet …)_  
_\- Get the key (Akio will give it to me when I'm ready) - (see first point) Trust his judgement._  
_\- Get animal sidekick (fun!) - (not necessarily in order?)_

Abigail looked at the paper and hesitated.  
_\- Get back home ..._

She tapped her pencil on the paper and bit her fingernail. She breathed heavily, hesitating some more. She held the cross in her hand, then put her pencil down. She felt so stupid.  
_\- Make love with Gaara … (not necessarily in that order)._

"This is so stupid."

She sighed loudly and wrinkled the whole paper in a ball and threw it in the wastebasket.

At least now her head was clearer. The best thing to do from now on is to train and put her heart in it. The more she focuses, the stronger she will get.

_"Let's start with that,"_ she thought. The red sun was still in sight but she was tired. She laid on her side like a fetus and hugged her pillow. The images were already there; Her and Gaara ...

The grown up part of her was telling her it was normal; the scared little girl part of her said she wasn't ready; the weak part of her said to at least wait until she was worthy; The angry part of her told her to stop being such a sissy.

And another part of her said: What if something happens before you have time to do anything? What if he dies before you can do anything?

She brought her knees even closer and tightened her grip on her pillow.

"It's not important … whether we do it or not, is it? Do you need to have sex to be a couple? What about those who end up in an accident and lose the whole bottom part? What if they are married? Do they get a divorce because of that? No! Sex does not define love between a couple!"

Or at least, she hoped it wouldn't end up like that … for those specific people. That would suck. She turned around and pulled the blanket over her face.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

About a month had passed since they last saw Sakura. Sasuke sat on that bench for the third time this week. The sun was rising over the water. Not a trace of her. Shino said his insects were still looking. Kakashi, of course, was worried as well, but had other missions to assign and worry about besides Sakura. Naruto, like Sasuke, was lost in thought most of the time, but was also distracted by the baby that was growing in Hinata. Sasuke wondered how much longer. Surely it wouldn't be that long until the baby was born?

Sasuke was not sleeping much. He was taken by surprise, not long ago, by Sakura's parents who brought him a meal, to make sure he was eating. What madness brought them to do that?

"_We know you are worried about her! We know! Please do not think for one second that we resent you for what you have done in the past! Come by for a visit, have a meal! Sleep under our roof if you wish! You are welcomed here!" _they had said. Didn't they know it was his fault? Didn't they know after all these years, he had rejected her? He couldn't bring himself to go to them. Surely they did not know what was going on.

But he had been looking for her everywhere; and now, he was out of ideas. He was lost. He didn't know where else to look. She had vanished.

So for the third day in a row, before dawn, he came and sat here, where it was quiet; near the place they last saw her. He sat on the bench and watched the sun rise over the forest. The sun made the river sparkle. Sakura would probably like that place. She probably already knew about it. Maybe she even came here a couple of times. He shaded his eyes from the rising sun with his hand. It was his fault. Everything was always his fault.

"You want some bread?"

He spun around to face Abigail, his hand on his chest.

"Oh! You scared me! You're getting good at sneaking!"

"Not really," she smiled. "You're just lost in thought, no one could ever sneak up on you, Sasuke." she said, handing him a honey bun bread.

"I'm not really hungry,"

"What will Sakura do to us when she learns we didn't feed you while she was gone?" she said with a theatrical fear on her face.

He sighed and took the bread and bit in it.

"You'll find her, don't worry," she said trying to cheer him up.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yup," she said, smiling. Waaay, waaaaaay up north."

"To Rice Country? What's up there?"

"Not Rice Country,"

Sasuke's eyes grew larger. "Snow Country?!"

She nodded. "Yes, following my dreams … literally …"

"Ah, the fog dreams …"

The fog dreams came unexpectedly. She has been training for about a week when Gaara decided to go back to Sunagakure with Kankuro. He came with the decision as suddenly as he was gone the next day. Abigail didn't know how to deal with that. Something must've come up for him to go so quickly. He had said he wouldn't be gone for too long and would come back to help her some more, so Naruto took over the training and had been a better teacher than she expected. She did enjoy his company, but she missed Gaara dearly.

She had learned so much in the past few weeks, she had not spared a single thought about any animal sidekick. Moreover, Akio didn't seem to be sure that it was a thing. He only saw an image of a humanoid form holding a fancy staff and standing beside some kind of animal. It could have been just a symbol of some sort.

However one recent night, she was laying down on her back, too tired to move and she felt surrounded by this thick mist. Something was moving around. She didn't feel threatened, but she was frustrated to not be able to see it. She could only sense its location as the fog swirled wherever it moved around. She tried to sit but her body was locked in place. She was only able to move her eyes, desperately trying to see what was there. She could only hear some ocean waves and feel a warm breath every time the creature would breathe near her. When she blinked, everything was back to normal and she could move. She had heard of those sleep paralysis, but never experienced one. Was that what it was? Wasn't it supposed to be a scary thing? It was unusual, for sure, but she wasn't really scared by it.

She spoke to her friends about this "waken dream" she had, and that was a bell trigger for Akio. They both went to Kakashi's office and concluded that something was calling her.

"Kakashi said that the ocean waves and fog I saw was probably near the land of snow, as there is some volcanic activity below the surface of the sea, which creates fog between the warm water and the cold air. So he accepted for me to go there, as long as I go with a few people."

"You seem excited," Sasuke knew all about the fog on the sea, but wasn't in the mood to start a conversation about it. He knew though, that the sea was not "warm". It was "warmer" than the air above, yes, but not "warm".

"Shouldn't I be?" she said smiling.

"It's cold as hell out there!"

"Hell is supposed to be hot,"

"Nobody ever goes that far! Who's going with you?"

She hesitated.

"Well … "

"Ohhh," he sighed and turned to face the sunrise "… Do I have to?"

"Yes, Kakashi said so. He's your boss, so … you have no choice." She handed over another honey bun. He sighed and dismissed it.

"I hope you have a warm jacket," he said, annoyed.

"Oh! Shopping!" she said while walking away. "We're leaving in three days!"

"Seriously, why are you so excited?"

He looked at the sun with a frown. How was he supposed to look for Sakura if he had to go out there?

* * *

"Aby!" Lee shouted as he threw a watermelon at her. She caught it in time before it reached the ground. It was heavy. "Put it in the carriage!"

"We already have five of them in there!"

"It's a long journey!"

"I'd rather transport more meat," she said with a pout, although she was certain they also had enough of these. Naruto and Sasuke threw their extra clothing and bags in the back of the carriage and Hazel gave a red apple to the beautiful white horse that was to pull it. His fur was very thick and hooves protected by even more thick white fur. His eyes were completely covered by the long mane. He was bulky, so much so that she thought he was fat.

"This breed is strong and can withstand the cold better than any other breeds. Also, he will blend well in the snow, should we have to set it free because of any issue. This way he'll have a chance against predators."

Aby watched Gaara talk without really listening. After Temari had mentioned that Abigail would take the road to follow some dream she had. He had insisted that he would come as well, leaving once more his second in command to the duties.

Joining them were also Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke and Sai. But seeing Gaara made her heart flutter. She hasn't seen him in a while and imagined how it would be when he saw her; He would pick her up and say :

"Abigail! I'm so sorry I left so suddenly! I should have never left you!"  
"It's ok! I understand you have your duties!"  
"My only duty from now on is you! I'll never leave you again."  
"Oh Gaara!"

Of course, none of this happened. When he arrived in Konoha, he just ended up smiling and put his hand on her head before going to see Kakashi.

"Are you listening?"

"Mmm … great camouflage or something," she said with sparkling eyes. He gave her a disapproving look but smiled nonetheless.

"Miss Abigail!"

She turned around and caught a huge hiking backpack that almost threw her off.

"Oh Come On!" she said. Her friends laughed and Lee grinned.

"Excellent!" he said. I see some of those muscles are showing up at last!"

It was more like toning, really. But she did get a little stronger in the last few weeks. She saw Lee drink water from a bottle and she waved her hand, as if she remotely smacked the bottle. The content spilled on his face and he coughed the water out, which made Naruto laugh. Gaara shook his head and she grinned.

"Miss Abigail! Seriously!" Lee said annoyed.

"You should have seen that coming, Lee sensei!" she said with a proud look on her face. She looked to Gaara who grinned, trying to keep a disapproving look.

"What?" she exclaimed. "You said to take every opportunity to train my water skills!"

He sighed and threw his own winter clothes in the carriage. Tori and Toshiko hugged her and Tori especially hugged Gaara, which never seemed to fail to surprise him. Toshiko did some kind of complicated handshake with Naruto, and off they went.

"Be careful Aby!" Hazel said, while waving. "Don't forget to come back!"

* * *

Sasuke studied the map while Naruto sharpened his ninja tools.

Shikamaru shook his head. "You should have done that before we left, idiot."

"Dude, I already got scolded by Hinata,"

Sai raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Really? Hinata scolded you?"

Naruto smiled back and winked. "-ish"

"How come you didn't stay with her?" asked Abigail. "Aren't you worried that she's alone while pregnant?"

"Well yes, but, she insisted I go," he said, pensively. "She probably wants me to have some adventure before the baby comes, y'know?" he concluded.

"Yeah right," Sasuke chuckled, "She probably needed a break from you!"

"Hey! Shut up!" he said, while everybody snorted.

Abigail thought there must have been some harmless truth to it. She glanced toward Gaara in front of her and resisted the urge to go talk to him. He was glancing at the map as well and was whispering something to Sasuke, pointing to it. Sasuke just nodded in answer.

They spent the first few nights camping without any problem. Abigail had her own tent this time around and it didn't take long to learn how to set it up. Shikamaru also taught her how to light a fire during her training. It didn't mean it was easy, but now she had more chances to survive in the wilderness. In fact, Shikamaru gave her the duty to make the fire most of the nights. Only once did he lit it up as she couldn't keep it going for some reason. She hoped it would be easier tonight.

For now, she sat in the carriage, due to a few blisters on her feet. If she had been a shinobi, they would have told her to suck it up. But she wasn't. If she would have been training to become one, they would have told her to suck it up, but she wasn't training to become a shinobi.

"You're not expected to go on missions on a regular basis," explained Shikamaru, "so rest your feet for now, otherwise you might get in trouble later."

She was grateful for the ointment he gave her, but reminisced about the times when Gaara gave them to her. She was trying hard not to think in a negative way, but couldn't help but to wonder why things seemed different since he left and came back. The reunion was not the way she expected; as if she was more excited than he was to see him. Also, he had not been seeking to talk to her as much as she had.

She rubbed her feet, sadly. "_Come on Aby, that doesn't mean a thing. He's the Kazekage, he has other things to think about than you." _she thought.

"Kakashi said that you haven't found Sakura yet," Gaara said to no one in particular.

Sai answered from behind. "No, Sasuke volunteered to search for her, but didn't find anything. Her folks have not seen her since …" he took a moment, not sure if he should step back on the wound that Sasuke seemed to carry, but he didn't seem to react to it. "Since her fight with Sasuke. She didn't get back home that night."

Sasuke held the map and remembered when she teased him for holding it upside down.

Abigail observed him from the cart.

"Hey guys?" she started.

"What's up?" Naruto said, finally putting the kunai back in his leg pouch.

"Thank you," she said, her voice quietly complimenting the sound of the horse hooves and carriage that were lost in the vast rice fields they were crossing. The layers of water soaked fields reflected the clouds and blue sky above and a few farmers wearing conical hats were seen digging and harvesting. Some children were watching and learning, under the care of older willing relatives. It was a beautiful and peaceful sight. She felt blessed and burdened at the same time.

"I realize that you all have a lot on your mind, other issues that would have been dealt with right away if it wasn't for me. Me and my friends just dropped into your world and now you are stuck with us, and yet, you have been nothing but welcoming; So I just wanted to say thank you, you know, for going out of your ways to help me and my friends; especially at this time."

"A shinobi is always willing to help whenever he can," answered Sasuke.

"Your story affects us in a way, it's only natural that we help!" said Sai with a smile. "And who knows, we might find some clues as to where Sakura is."

"There's something I don't understand," Naruto said. "Yashiko, or, whatever his real name was; if he died, how come Sakura is still missing? Shouldn't she have been out of the jutsu she was under then?"

"That can only mean that he was not alone," Gaara said, leaving Abigail aghast.

"You mean, it's not over?"

The other shinobis laughed out loud.

"I would have been surprised if it would have been that easy!" said Shikamaru. "What a drag!" he added with a sigh.

"Yashiko said they were getting ready to conquer," Gaara started. "One man alone cannot conquer anything. He would need an acolyte. Maybe HE was the acolyte."

"Oh yeah … that would make sense," Naruto agreed. "Ah man! I thought that was over! What a piss off!"

Abigail watched Gaara from behind. He didn't turn around to face the others. He kept on walking, but she already knew what he was thinking. She kept quiet and took a sip. They didn't have any news from him in such a long time. She couldn't deny the possibility anymore. If someone like Yashiko was able to surprise them all and pull something like that, it was a possibility that Chris would have been guilty as well. Only, she truly thought that since Yashiko had been caught, Chris would have been proven innocent. Apparently it wasn't so easy. She didn't want to say anything right now; except maybe ...

"You know," she started, "Whatever happened to her, I feel responsible. Someone from my world put his nose where he shouldn't have and messed with a story that should have been left alone. I hope I can become strong enough to help you deal with this. I want to help find Sakura."

"We'll find her!" Naruto said while pumping his fist, "I never go back on my word!"

"We'll find him too; Chris, I mean." Gaara added, still looking ahead.

She couldn't tell if he wanted to reassure her, or if he meant it as a threat. She took a sip of water from her gourd and decided to enjoy the view of the rice fields. She saw on the horizon a range of mountains with snow caps.

"Is this where we're heading?" she asked.

"Yes, but we'll have to cross the sea first. You better pray that we won't have to climb to the top to find whatever it is you're trying to find!" said Sasuke.

"What are we looking for anyway? What animal?" asked Naruto.

"I don't really know," she admitted, embarrassed. "I think that it's the kind of thing that you know when you see it, you know?"

"WHAT?!" Shikamaru flipped around and stopped walking, "Wait, you don't even KNOW what it is we're looking for?"

She suddenly realized that they were not aware of that detail.

"Well, k-kinda … but n-not really. Akio said that my dream was trying to reveal that to me. We went to see Kakashi and according to the description of the dream, that's where I would find it, m-most likely."

"OH COME ON!," he cursed under his breath. "What a draaaaag! You are telling me that I left my wife alone to look for something we might not even find?!"

"You mean we might go all this way and not find anything? What if Kakashi sensei made a mistake and sent us to the wrong place?" Naruto complained.

"Now, now," Sai started. "We might find something interesting along the way. It is still worth investigating."

"I'm, I'm sorry," she said, her happiness suddenly leaving her. "I, I thought you were aware of that,"

She felt embarrassed. Now she caused a whole team to leave the village and their family for something that 1. She wasn't sure she needed; 2. She didn't even know what to look for. And that whole speech she just made about them doing above and beyond to help her; maybe she was a burden after all.

No one said anything and kept on walking, suddenly more weary then they were before. Probably this would be a waste of time. Kakashi didn't seem to be bothered by it; he didn't argue and offered to send an expedition with her to help her. However, he was the Hokage and they had to obey his decision.

"I'm sure the Hokage would not have made that decision lightly if it was to be a waste of time and energy," Gaara said to break the silence. "He's a smart man and well trained in investigating. Wasn't he once in the Anbu?"

"Yeah, that's true!" Naruto exclaimed. "I trust his judgment, y'know?"

"Mr. Daisuke seems trustworthy as well. He seems a little more knowledgeable than anyone else when it comes to what she needs. I wouldn't lose heart on this mission," added Sai.

Abigail was grateful for the comments; but what cheered her most was a little butterfly flip flopping around her, sparkling with golden dust under the sun. It disintegrated into sand within a few seconds. She smiled and saw Gaara glancing back towards her with a faint smile, his green and white Kazekage hat dangling from his gourd.

The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains on the horizon. Abigail was about to ask about setting up camp when Shikamaru pointed to a farm house nearby.

"Maybe they can accommodate us for tonight."

"Let's ask them, man I'm so hungry!" Naruto said.

"It's not an INN, Naruto! We're only stopping for the night to sleep. We'll eat our own food!"

"Man, Sasuke, you're starting to talk like Sakura." he replied with a pout. "I'm just craving ramen, y'know?"

A lady was carrying a heavy basket full of freshly picked vegetables. She dropped the basket when Gaara called out to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. We're travelling north and were wondering if —"

"Lord Gaara?!"

The lady looked up to him, aghast. She removed her hood to reveal long, silky black hair. She wore the Nara Clan crest on her right shoulder. Her skin, once fair, had a faint golden glow. Gaara had a hand on the basket but couldn't help but to stare. Albeit the small changes, he recognized her right away.

"... Hakuto…"

"You guys know each other?" asked Naruto.

Shikamaru stepped forward, thinking fast. No one was supposed to know beside the sand siblings and himself.

"Who doesn't know the Kazekage!"

"Hey Shikamaru, isn't that the Nara Crest? Are you guys related?" he pressed on.

"Uhhhh yes! Hey Hakuto! It's so nice to see you … third … cousin ... from my mother's side!"

"Oh, yes, hello Shikamaru! Welcome," she said, still looking at Gaara.

Abigail looked at the scene with cold sweat in her spine. The lady was very beautiful, as she was described in the side story. She watched Gaara from the carriage. He didn't move nor speak, too surprised to say anything. She couldn't read him. Was he just surprised, or did he feel something else? She found herself very afraid of the answer.

"Oh! What a nice coincidence," Sai exclaimed, "that should make it easier then! We are looking for a place to stay tonight! We can camp out of course, but we'd appreciate it if we could find a comfortable place to stay, with a roof over our head. We'd be gone in the morning!"

"Oh! Of course! P-Please, you are welcomed to stay!"

She noticed Abigail in the carriage at last and their eyes met with curiosity.

"Hum," started Gaara. "Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"You already know Lord Gaara of course, because, who doesn't, right?" exclaimed Shikamaru while looking at Naruto. He tilted his head with curiosity. What was wrong with Shikamaru, all of a sudden nervous. "Hum, this is Naruto and Sai over there and in the cart is Abigail!"

She waited for Gaara to say something. "_Say I'm your girlfriend! Just say it! Why would you hide it from her?"_

Gaara said nothing. He looked away at last, feeling awkward.

"Hello, I'm Hakuto, she said. I'm a medical ninja, although I haven't practiced in a while …"

"Why not?" Naruto asked, curious. If she was a shinobi, why was she on a farm? A toddler came out of the door. He must have been 1 or two years old. "Ah! Now I get it!" Naruto said as they all moved inside. "I'm about to become a dad too, y'know? Maybe we can talk! You must have some tips for me and Hinata!"

After seeing Gaara go inside, Abigail carefully climbed down the carriage by herself, thoughts running at 100 mph. "_Calm down,"_ she told herself. "_You would have come down by yourself regardless. He didn't forget about you. It doesn't mean anything."_

"I can help you with that," Hakuto told her with a shy smile after she noticed the blisters on her feet. She was literally inches away from Abigail when she got down, and she got startled.

"Oh, uh, sure, thank you."

Man she was beautiful! She could've been a princess! Her eyes were very dark blue, almost black. Her hair was flowing gracefully in the light breeze.

* * *

The toddler was playing with a few blocks, sitting on the floor. Trying to pile them up. He grunted suddenly and Hakuto, who was tending to Abigail's foot laughed embarrassed. She put Aby's foot down gently.

"I'm sorry, I'll just need a minute. She disappeared behind the couch and proceeded to change the child's nappy.

"Why aren't you living in Konoha?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru stiffened. He wished Naruto wasn't as curious as he was.

"My husband and I wanted to own a rice farm, so we had the Nara's bless … I mean, our family's blessing to move to Rice Country and start our life here. It is nice and quiet here, perfect to raise children," she said smiling.

"I guess," Naruto said. "I could never leave Konoha! One day I'll be Hokage, y'know? So I can't move out, y'know?" he said, before taking a sip of tea. Gaara coughed a little, not knowing what to say. He watched her tend to her child. Abigail felt her heart ache. What was he thinking right now? That this could have been his child?

"So where is your husband?" asked Sai.

There was a moment of silence. She smiled while picking her child up, clean at last. She put him in a high chair and gave him a few berries to eat, to which he responded with giggles. He squashed them and licked his fingers, showing them to the guests.

"He was killed a few months ago."

Gaara attempted to put the tea cup on the table but miscalculated the distance and it dropped on the floor. He apologized a few times and rose up to get something to clean the mess. Abigail desperately tried to read his face. She saw shock, concern, confusion.

"Why didn't you say anything! Why didn't you come back to Konoha!" Shikamaru said, disapprovingly. "Being alone on a farm with a young child is too much for you!"  
"I'm ok," she said. "I have some help when I need it from the neighboring folks, but really, it is not as difficult as I thought it would be. Yukio is a good boy," she said, wiping his hands. She then grabbed the cloth from Gaara's hands and bowed. "Please my Lord, let me do this," she said, then cleaned the mess. Only then she realized she forgot about Abigail. She hurried and grabbed some bandages. "I'm sorry, this will keep the feet clean and help with the healing. I infused the wrapping with healing chakra. You should feel better and ready to walk tomorrow," she said smiling.

"Thank you," said Abigail. It was the first time she spoke. It was also the first time Gaara seemed to remember about her since he recognized Hakuto. He glanced at her but she was avoiding his gaze.

"Hum, thank you for the hospitality," he said. "We'll be on our way tomorrow."

"You already said that," Hakuto smiled. Gaara thought he'd forgotten how beautiful she was. He didn't think he would ever see her again. "But you are welcomed to stay as long as you need!"

"_Why is she only looking at Gaara,"_ Abigail wondered, nervously. No. Don't go there. She recently lost her husband. The one she wanted to run away with. There's nothing between him and her anymore. Is there?

"Thank you," he said.

* * *

Abigail unrolled her sleeping bag on the floor and took another sip of tea. She looked at Gaara a few inches away from her, he was sitting on his, deep in thought. She nodded when Hakuto asked them if they were comfortable. Gaara watched her go upstairs.

"_We'll be gone in the morning," _she thought. "Are you ok?" she asked him. He looked at her at last.

"What?"

"I was just asking if you were ok,"

He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?!"

She frowned in return and paused before answering. "I was just worried about you seeing her again after all this time. Relax," she said while turning around and laying down on her mat. This time, the tears came out. She blinked them away, knowing that in the morning, all the dark ideas would be gone. Or would they.

Gaara watched her, feeling guilty. He put a hand on her shoulder, not seeing her face.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm tired that's all. Seeing her was a shock."

She shrugged her shoulders. He laid down on his own mat and watched her fall asleep from behind. The rest of the team were fast asleep, but he couldn't. Within an hour, he heard footsteps above him. He slowly rose to his feet and climbed up the stairs.

Any fool would know that a girl can't sleep in that situation. She opened her eyes and surrendered to the urge of following him up. She tiptoed up the stairs as stealthy as she could and watched him knock on the door and get in.

"I heard your footsteps from downstairs," he told her once he walked in the room that she opened. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," she said.

"I'm sorry about your husband."

"No, I am," she said with a broken voice. "All of what you did, all these secrets, all the chaos we put you through, all for nothing."

"Were you happy with him?" he asked after a few seconds, not sure how to handle a crying lady.

"... well, yes, I was!"

"Then it wasn't for nothing," he said smiling. "It's better to have even one hour of happiness and freedom than a lifetime of regrets."

"It's true, I guess you're right," she said with a soft laugh.

"You said he got killed? How? I remember he was pretty strong!"

"I'm not sure, he saw something through the window. A shadow. He said it felt threatening. He went to check it out. I heard him shout in the distance. I waited a while and got worried. When I got to him …" she paused and tried to contain the sobs. "He was on the ground, blood was running out of his mouth. But there were no other wounds, it's like he was attacked from inside or something."

"Shikamaru was right, you should have come back to Konoha. It could still be dangerous!"

"I was going to! I was scared the first night. I came back inside, locked myself in the closet with Yukio, prayed he wouldn't cry and make noises. But when morning came, when I went out to seek help, I noticed nothing was stolen. No one tried to break in either. And it has been like that ever since. Like it was another one of those stories of someone being there at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

"Hakuto, You should have at least warn or told someone! I didn't send you both free to be killed by someone else. Please go back to Konoha and be safe there."

She nodded while choking her sobs with her hands and slowly moved toward him. She embraced him with both arms.

"Is, is she your friend?" she asked after a while to break the silence. Being careful not to thread on water that she wasn't supposed to be on."

He took some time before answering.

"We are helping her get somewhere safely. She has business in the land of snow. But yes, we are friends, as far as I'm concerned."

Abigail took a step back and went back downstairs, blinded by the overflowing tears. She missed a step and her feet landed loudly on the first floor.

Gaara stepped out of the room quickly and looked down the stairs, but couldn't see or hear anything in the dark.

"I better go," he said. He hugged her once more and climbed down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he saw that everyone was still sleeping. So he reached his own mat and laid back down.

* * *

They rose up early the next morning. Hakuro had boiled some eggs from her chicken coop and offered them to the shinobis, wrapped in a linen.

"I hope you find what you are looking for," she said to them. "Please be safe."

"Thanks again," Sai said, with a quick bow.

The horse walked on, pulling the carriage and Naruto looked back.

"Shouldn't we wait for him?" he asked.

Shikamaru waved his hands, moving forward.

"He'll catch up in no time, don't worry, leave him be."

Abigail turned around to see him bowing down before her and she answered with an unexpected kiss. Gaara did not stop her. He stood there, without moving. She pulled back, bowed and went back inside. Abigail looked away and sniffed hard.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Naruto said, frowning.

"It's nothing," she said smiling. "It's nothing, I'm fine! Just being a girl!"

She forced a giggle out and rolled her eyes, still smiling. Naruto looked at Sai, but he shrugged.

"You know I'm no expert when it comes to women," he reminded him. "She might be in her … lady business … I know Ino becomes emotionally unstable when she gets hers."

"Oh, now that you mention it …"

"Guys," Aby said, "I'm right here, I can hear you!"

They kept on talking about women's strange behavior, ignoring her. She soon felt a presence in her back, knowing it was Gaara, but did not turn around or talk to him. Neither did he.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Hakuto's fresh eggs were tastier than any eggs Aby ever had. Yet, she couldn't enjoy them. Abigail had been quiet all morning, and even now, at lunch time, she wasn't much of a social companion. She fed the horse a green apple and focused on petting its big, soft nose, releasing some white cloud every time the creature breathed. Gaara was also keeping to himself and Sasuke was no different.

Naruto came back from the forest with a few rabbits, while they were resting.

He watched everyone and sighed.

"Man! You guys came out of a funeral or something? Cheer up will ya?"

"I'm cheerful!" Sai said.

"Got some rabbits for dinner!" Naruto said, cheerfully, holding his prizes in one hand.

"Throw them in the carriage," Shikamaru said, "We'll have Aby show us her cooking skills tonight," he smiled, napping under a tree. The air was getting chilly. Abigail put on a light jacket that she had brought.

"I'm guessing we are getting close?" she said.

"Another two days," Shikamaru said. "More or less," It's only gonna get colder from here.

"Ok," she said.

Sasuke studied her for a few minutes. She wasn't as excited as she was that day. He looked at Gaara who was also studying her secretly, while removing the bark from a stick, preparing tools for a fire tonight. The chances to find another house on the road, from now on, were slim. They would camp out.

Sasuke could see that Gaara was struggling with something. As if he wanted to talk to her about something, but wasn't sure he should. He knew that feeling. He got up and joined him.

"Whatever it is, just tell her," he said.

"What?"

"Don't do what I did, Lord Kazekage, tell her what you have on your mind."

"Ugh," Gaara sighed heavily. "I'm not sure I should say anything …"

"Lord Gaara, it's none of my business, but I ended up in the same situation as you. And it led to Sakura disappearing. And now that she is not here, it became clear to me."

"What became clear?"

"What she means to me. She was right; I'm emotionally unstable. Or at least, I was. Now, I'm just lost and …" what he meant to say was "scared". Scared of loving and that love being taken away. He loved his parents, and his brother. Both were taken away. He was afraid of trusting and losing the trust.

He left Gaara pondering on his issues. He called out to his falcon and he came down to him. One would think the winged beast would have been tired of being asked to look for Sakura over and over again, without ever finding anything, without knowing where to look, but he obeyed his master, once more, and took to the sky without a complaint.

Gaara rose to his feet and threw the kindling and piece of stick he prepared into the cart, positioning himself close to Abigail.

"How's your feet?"

"As good as new," she answered with a quick, forced smile.

"... There's something I need to tell you," he started. She waited for something she wasn't sure she wanted to hear. But nothing came out of his mouth. She looked up at him and she gave him an inquisitive look, before frowning.

"Hm, it's ok, it can wait. We should move now," he called out to everyone around.

She watched him move ahead of everyone, throwing his Kazekage cloak around his shoulder.

"_He doesn't know how to tell me,"_ she realized with a heavy heart. "_She is back in his life and available … so he doesn't know how to end it, without feeling like a jerk."_

She followed them in silence. Of course it would end up like that. That girl was everything Abigail wasn't. Even as a farmer, she had grace in every movement. She was a beauty, like a princess, a much better fit for a Kazekage. They also lived in two different worlds that were never meant to cross paths. Maybe it was better this way; the logical choice.

She had to find a way to get past the sadness. They were stuck with each other now and for who knows how long. Things were going to be awkward. At least, he didn't lose anything; he had something to look forward to. He would probably go to her as soon as they were back.

The shinobis all turned around to look at Abigail. She had punched the side of the carriage so hard that she let out a shriek of pain. The rage came out of nowhere from inside her. However, she didn't expect her hand to throb like that. Her knuckles were bloodied and she couldn't move her fingers. She looked at her hand, in shock. She didn't expect to end up like that.

"Abigail! What the hell?!" Naruto came to look at her hand. Gaara watched, puzzled. She looked back at him.

"I'm fine. There, there was a bug on the carriage … I don't like bugs."

Sasuke sighed and kept walking, followed by the others. Gaara joined Naruto.

"Let me see," he said.

"I SAID I'M FINE!" She jerked her hand off before he could touch her, much to her own surprise. It was a reaction she did not expect, much less Gaara.

"Ok," he said with a frown.

Naruto glanced back and forth between them, aware for the first time that something weird was going on. He watched Abigail jump in the carriage, looking for bandages.

"What the hell is going on, man?" he asked Gaara, confused.

"I'm not sure," he answered, genuinely dumbfounded. She had been cold toward him for a while. Quiet, since he came back. He wondered if maybe, especially now, she was sensing something. Did she hear him and Hakuto last night? He heard something fall, when he looked, there was nothing there. Maybe she had been pretending to be asleep.

He stopped in his tracks. "_She saw the kiss, didn't she."_ He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Abigail," he whispered close to her, from outside the cart, "can we talk?"

"It's ok," she said, while wrapping the bandage around her hand.

He wasn't sure if he should tell her she should've put an ointment first.

"What's ok?" he said, confused.

"Everything," she said frustrated. "Don't worry about it! It's fine!" she briskly ripped the bandages with her teeth, put a tape on it, jumped back out and kept walking further away from him.

* * *

Sai roamed around in the dark grey sky. Made a few circles then came back on the path, flying on his flying paper beast he summoned from his scroll. He landed with a thud and the beast disappeared with a "poof".

"I saw a cave nearby! That would be the perfect place to camp! We'll be sheltered from the rain!"

Soundless lightning hit on the horizon. Aby still didn't know how to predict for sure that it would rain, but her companions did. They seemed agitated as well, as if it would be a stormy one. The air smelled different too. It was pretty cold in the afternoon. Now the air was warmer, and humid.

"Let's go there then," pressed Shikamaru. "We might be able to make it before it starts."

They all hurried their pace, as a few raindrops fell here and there. The sun had now completely disappeared behind the dark clouds. As if the clouds were not enough, night came and dimmed their sight even more.

Thunder was now louder, and lightning more ferocious. Abigail did not remember witnessing such stormy weather before. She jumped at the sudden lightning and thunder who were following each other within seconds. She heard a tree crack in the distance, and another lightning frightened the poor horse on the path. Shikamaru attempted to calm the creature down by caressing its neck and took the rein to direct it to where they were going. The brave horse obliged, trusting them.

Aby jumped again when yet, another lightning hit nearby, followed by the roar of the thunder. Gaara grabbed her by the arm and covered her with his cloak.

When they finally reached the cave, which was a good size, she relaxed a little and ran in, followed by the horse, carriage and the other shinobis, pushing them towards the far end of the cave, where it was dry.

Abigail was able to find a few dry kindling and a rock base to start the fire. She found the stick that Gaara prepared earlier, another piece of flat wood and got to work, cutting little dents in the flat wood, while Gaara brought her some tinder and other logs.

Naruto came by to offer help, but she ignored him.

"It'll be hard to keep it going, most of it is damp from the rain, but some of them are still dry," she said, hard at work.

She took the tinder that Gaara brought her and placed it aside, while turning the stick between her hands, creating friction between the stick and the board. Gaara watched her, as the others did, not sure if they should tell her to move aside. It would be much easier to use a jutsu to make the fire, but something told them that she had some purpose behind it.

Sasuke shook his head when Naruto wanted to put his foot down, as he was shivering from the cold.

"She's upset," he whispered. "She's just trying to find something to do until it passes."

"What is she upset about?" he whispered back, puzzled.

"I'm not sure exactly, but I think it's got something to do with him," he pointed discreetly toward Gaara, who sat patiently on a rock nearby, facing away from Abigail.

As expected, she couldn't get the fire going. She let out a sigh of frustration and threw the stick on the side, before leaving the cave. Naruto and Sai both stood up to protest, but Sasuke stopped them.

"Let her cool off."

He made a few hand signs and blew a fireball into the fire pit. The group gathered around, relieved to feel the heat.

"Gaara," Naruto started, "Maybe you should go get her; she might get sick out there, or get lost,"

"Let's cook the meat first," he suggested with a hint of annoyance. "If she's not back by then, I'll go look for her."

Naruto tossed the rabbits to Sasuke who placed them to roast over the fire.

* * *

Abigail sat in the pouring rain. She felt stupid. She should have stayed in the cave. She didn't feel better after all. She only felt cold, and wet, and alone. She started to cry. The tears blended with the cold rain. It flooded some parts of the forest.

What happened? How did she end up like this? What did she do for Gaara to turn away from her. It didn't make sense. The more she searched, the less she found. She couldn't think of anything that she did that made him angry. He just left to go find his village, and everything changed since. But he did come back to go out there with her, didn't he? He was worried, so he decided to go? Surely that meant he cared for her? Did he change his mind while he was away? Did he figure out, while they were apart, that it didn't make sense to be together? She hit the rock she was sitting on with the palm of her hand and cried some more.

Now Hakuto confirmed everything. She was like the coup de grace. Her husband was dead, which meant that it was meant to be. Gaara and Hakuto were meant to be, and she had to finish her training and get back to her world. She had to finish the journey they were on, find whatever she had to find and get back. How was she supposed to do that? Like it was nothing?

She put both hands on her face and cried some more, the sobs got lost in the thunder. She heard faint sounds behind her; twigs being crushed, mud being stepped on. She turned around and saw Gaara staring at her, drenched from the rain. He didn't look happy. The rain was so heavy that he did not notice that she was crying; or so she thought. He took another step towards her.

"What are you doing?"

"...Nothing"

"Do I really need to tell you that you can't stay here? Don't you guys get sick in your world?" he said, nonchalantly. "You don't get hit by lightning in your world?

"...I got lost," she said, sniffling.

Gaara sighed, trying to contain his annoyance, but she felt it.

"Come on, everybody is worried about you," he said while turning away.

"Everybody?" she asked.

"Yes Aby! Everybody! Everyone was at a loss earlier, wondering what was wrong with you! Then you just leave and disappear in the storm! Do you know how dangerous that is? Lightning could strike here anytime! Now come on, we'll have to put you into a new set of clothes."

Aby stood up and stared at him. "Well I'm sorry I caused you to feel something other than pity and regret." she mumbled.

"What?" he turned around, puzzled. "Where did that come from?"

"Never mind, let's go, I wouldn't want anybody else to be inconvenienced by me."

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you're gonna have to keep your weird polar emotions in check, because it makes everybody feel awkward," he said. She stopped walking, mouth opened wide at what he just said. That. That was unfair.

"You ... ass-hole!"

It was a whisper, but he heard it. He turned around again, without really knowing how to handle this.

"What?!"

"I SAID YOU ASS-HOLE!" She screamed before picking up a rock and throwing it at him. He didn't have to move a muscle, as expected, his sand shielded him from the impact. He saw it; the red eyes, she was crying. He stared, speechless.

"I'm soooo happy that it's THAT easy for you!" she continued yelling. "You just go about your business, making SMART decisions and apparently, you don't have to feel ANYTHING about it! As for me, I'm entitled to it! I have every right to feel this way, YOU HEAR ME? EVERY RIGHT!" she cried, partly trying to convince herself that the tantrum she was throwing was not unfounded.

It took him a moment to let the words sink in. He had some ideas why she would be angry, but him "not feeling anything"?

"What the hell are you talking about!" he shouted.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

"NO I DON'T! I CAN'T READ YOUR MIND, ABY!"

"OH PLEASE! YOU DON'T NEED TO READ FREAKING MINDS TO KNOW! YOU MADE IT PLAIN TO SEE!" she fell on her knees, both hands in her face, sobbing uncontrollably. "You made it plain to see! I saw it when you saw her; I even saw it in her eyes. I heard it in the words you exchanged last night."

Gaara growled, he angrily removed the wet and sticky hair from his face. "I knew it! I knew you might have heard something—"

"You told her we were only friends,"

"It's not what you think, Aby! Listen!"

"She asked you if I was your friend, you said we were friends. Did you or did you not?"

"I didn't want to upset her, I thought it might have upset her, Aby, she just lost her husband!"

"Why do you keep lying? What good does it do to you? I have to go away anyway, right?"

"I'M NOT—"

"You kissed her, Gaara!"

His eyes grew larger, he was confused for a moment. "No I didn't?"

"It's not like you were trying to hide it!" she cried.

"This morning? I didn't kiss her, SHE kissed me!"

She laughed out loud. Walking away, towards the cave, trying not to slip on the wet ground.

"Aby!"

"Whatever,"

He caught her by the arm to turn her around. "I tried to talk to you about it, you said not to worry about it! That it was ok!"

"That's what you were trying to tell me?" she asked, surprised. "WHY THE HELL WOULD I BE OK WITH THAT ANYWAY? WITH ANY OF IT?"

"What else did you think I was trying to say? You looked upset, so I thought you might have seen it and misunderstood it, so I wanted to tell you what happened!"

"Does it matter who kissed who? You just kept going like it was nothing!"

"No I didn't! I stopped it!"

"STOP LYING! I SAW—"

"I STOPPED IT! I REJECTED HER!"

Abigail freed her arm from his grip and stood speechless for a minute. The rain was still pouring down, but now that the yelling stopped suddenly, it was strangely quiet. It was soothing. But still, her heart was racing. She did not expect something like that to happened. Tears fell down again. She didn't think for a second that she had a chance against Hakuto.

"What?" she asked. "You rejected her?"

"Yes!"

"HER?! YOU REJECTED HER? HAKUTO?!"

"YES!"

"Why, I don't understand," she started to cry again. "Why would you do that?"

He stared at her, completely astonished.

"D-did you just ask me why I would reject her?"

"I, she is so different from me, she, she's so …" she looked for the proper words; Graceful? Beautiful?"

"She is not you, Aby! I love YOU, not her."

Abigail's hands shook. She stared at him as he got closer.

"She kissed me, it took me by surprise, so I didn't know how to stop it right there and then but it became very clear in the end. It didn't feel right. Just like your kiss with that guy. It didn't feel right."

Abigail looked down, still digesting his words. But he cupped her head in his hands and forced her to look up at him.

"It feels right with you. I'm in love with you; Not with her."

He kissed her once, then a second time, still cupping her head into his hands. He held her tight, partly from the fear that she would unleash another burst of sudden anger, and partly because he was seeking warmth. Her skin was cold, so was his. He missed this. He missed her. He wanted to kiss her and run his fingers through her hair forever, but they needed to get back.

"Listen, we can't stay here right now. This is dangerous. We need to get back to the cave and warm up."

"Ok,"

He used his sand to carry them back, but took more chakra because of the heavy rain, disrupting the consistency of the sand under their feet.

When they arrived at the cave, she was grateful that they didn't inquire about the whole thing. They stared but got back to their business. She went straight to get a change of clothes and sat by the fire, eating a rabbit that Naruto cooked. The cooked meat felt good when it went down. She was suddenly very tired. Gaara joined her when he was changed as well. He wrapped a blanket around both of them as they warmed up beside the fire. He added some wood to the pit to make the fire a little bigger. They were joined by the rest of the group who started a conversation about the possible animals that would be a nice addition to her power.

"You know, y'all talking about wolves and eagles, I'm gonna laugh if it turns out to be an octopus!

They all burst out roaring with laughter. Gaara held her close beside him and she looked him in the eyes with a smile.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He returned the smile along with a long kiss. Naruto chuckled and Sasuke kicked his foot.

"Grow up, doofus," he said.

Not very far, a thin figure spied the camp; waiting for further instructions. The rain fell down her short hair and face. She was completely oblivious to everything. Her skin was like ice, though she couldn't feel the cold. In fact, she couldn't feel anything. Her dark emerald green eyes were completely devoid of emotions.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

The raging thunder finally subsided and was replaced in the morning by the tweeting of several birds nearby. Abigail woke up and noticed the vibrant colors of the forest; the sunshine was filtered through it's canopy. They were all sleeping near each other, like a pack of wolves, at the deep far end of the cave.

She was curled up against Gaara; his cloak was still covering both of them which was in turn covered by a soft forest green blanket. She studied Gaara, a little surprised that he was allowing the others to see him and her so close. She concluded that he was starting to get comfortable in showing affection in the presence of others, or at least, the ones whom he considered close to him.

She heard a noise nearby. It was probably some animal. She sat down slowly feeling stuffy, felt a shiver as the cold reached her body that was warmed by the layers earlier. She had a slight headache, located near the eyes and sinuses. She hoped she wasn't sick. Or perhaps it was the emotions from yesterday that drained her. She yawned and saw a white cloud coming out of her mouth, remembering they were getting closer to the land of snow.

She felt a hand caressing her back and shoulder. His hand grabbed the shirt she was wearing and brought her back in a lying position, beside him, under the cover. She put her forehead against his.

"I have a headache," she said softly.

"Hum, I know a little something," he whispered.

He put his thumbs between her eyebrows and started rubbing, a light green glow emerging from them. He rubbed his thumbs from in and out, and repeated, going up towards the top of her head. She felt the warmth going in and the pressure released. He finished with his hands on the side of her face and opened his eyes to look into hers.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you," she answered with her eyes closed. She nestled her face in his neck, listening to his breathing and the breathing of her other companions. She didn't know what time it was, but she was very grateful to have those extra minutes of intimacy. Very soon, they would have to keep going. She was getting excited again. She was curious to know what she would find out there. She heard the crackling noise again, followed by a little stomp.

Curiosity got the best of her; she withdrew from the safety of Gaara's arms and quietly stood up and walked towards the cave's mouth. She was blinded by the sunlight. Albeit the cold, it was a beautiful forest; nothing extraordinary there since everything in this world was beautiful. The sound of a nearby creek and more crackling of twigs and leaves reached her ears. She decided to follow it.

Gaara watched her exit the cave and wondered if he should follow her. He turned himself around instead, keeping an ear open; but gasped in horror as Naruto's face was inches away from his; his cheek resting in a pool of saliva still coming out of his mouth. Naruto was snoring, unaware of the slobbery mess his face was in.

Gaara held a disgusted groan back and slid back a few inches away from his friend.

* * *

Abigail sneaked through the forest, without leaving the cave out of her sight. A shy fox was spying on her near its den, and so was a raccoon from a hole, high in a tree trunk.

"Good morning," she whispered to them, smiling. She heard the noise again, much closer this time. She turned to the right and saw a fawn.

"Oh my God!"

She lowered herself to the ground, kneeling and looking for its mother who must have been nearby. The fawn was as beautiful as he was curious. It bleated as he approached her. She heard its mother calling nearby and was surprised to see her well camouflaged near the creek. She was staring back at her, looking out for any wrong move that this strange two legged creature might do towards her baby.

The fawn smelled Abigail from a foot away and then jumped back towards it's mother. The doe and fawn greeted each other with their noses and both jumped in and crossed the creek to travel deeper into the forest, without looking back.

Abigail stood up and walked to the creek, excited by the experience of seeing wild deer in their natural habitat.

* * *

The white horse chewed on the apple that Shikamaru gave him a few seconds ago. It stomped its hoof as he was harnessed back to the cart.

"Now, now," Shikamaru said with a chuckle. "Patience, I'll give you another apple in a minute. Or would you prefer a carrot?"

The animal neighed and bobbed its head a few times.

"All right; carrot it is!"

Sai munched on a stripe of beef jerky and washed it down with water. He threw one at Sasuke and offered one to Gaara.

Naruto came back to the cave that he had left a few minutes ago for his morning relief.

"So, how much longer?" he asked Sasuke.

"If we leave now, we should reach the village hidden in the snow tonight; There is a port there where we can get a ship tomorrow morning; It will take us deeper in Snow country, on the other side of the sea. There should be a few INNs that could lodge us tonight. However, I hope Abigail is up for it; it'll be challenging. There's some rough terrain ahead. I'm not sure she is used to it."

"She'll be fine," said Gaara.

"You guys talking about me?" Abigail made her way through the cave's mouth and walked toward the guys. She was using her scarf to hold a lot of little black berries. "These are edible, right?"

"Are they?" Shikamaru quizzed her with a very serious face.

She looked at him and the berries, back and forth.

"Y-yes?" she tried.

"Are you sure?"

She wasn't anymore. She was sure that she saw these in the book as "edible". But now, Shikamaru's expression was making her doubt herself. Were they?

Shikamaru smirked, took one and ate it, before turning around to lead the horse and the carriage out of the cave.

"If you're not sure, then don't eat it," he said. "Better be safe than sorry."

"You'd better learn these well," whispered Gaara. "Otherwise you'll starve!"

"I keep a little booklet in my bag at all times!" Naruto said as if he was the smartest guy in the world.

"You idiot," exclaimed shikamaru in the distance.

* * *

Abigail and the shinobis walked steadily, all positioned around the carriage. She breathed on her hands to try to warm them and kept them wrapped in the cloak, while keeping it tight around her. The wind had been furious for hours now; or at least, it seemed that way. She didn't know what time it was, or how long they had been walking, but it mustn't have been that long since they didn't stop for lunch yet. Just how early did they leave exactly?

Abigail kept her face toward the ground to hide it from the wind as best she could. It seemed the day was getting colder by the minute. Many times she wanted to inquire "how much longer," but resisted; she knew there was no gain in complaining. Besides, she wasn't the only one inconvenienced; the others were in the same position as she was. They all had their face lowered towards the ground.

A few more minutes in and she felt cold needles hit her face. She reached with a hand and noticed snowflakes. The wind had brought snow in the mix. She soon started to shake uncontrollably. Once more, she wanted to say something, but resisted the urge.

"_Just keep going, you'll stop when you'll stop."_

Gaara quickly glanced towards her for the third time since they entered the cold front. She was being a trooper; perhaps pushing beyond her limits. He looked at her shoulders, covered by the cloak and noticed the shivering. It was getting more and more difficult to push forward and he wondered if she would be alright, doubting his initial opinion.

The wind briefly changed its course from time to time, coming from all sides.

"_The wind does whatever it wants,"_ he thought.

The wind's change of attitude was taking a toll on poor Abigail who had to stop at times; Her cold body was getting confused in where it had to position itself to keep balance. Gaara hurried his pace to reach Sasuke who was ahead of them all, holding on to the reins of the steady horse. It kept stomping onward, strong willed and undeterred by the cold.

"I know she wants to say something but she is resisting. Maybe we should stop a little; I'm afraid she's at her limit."

"We have to keep going for a little longer," Sasuke answered; the sound of his voice was getting lost in the wind and Gaara had to get closer to hear him. "There will be creatures at night; and besides, there is nowhere around here to take shelter!"

Sasuke was right. At this point, there was not even a tree in sight. All they could see was a plateau covered in snow. Fortunately, they had all covered their sandals with heavy cotton and leather wrappings for this purpose, but the wind was cruel as there was nothing to stand in its way. For now, they had to follow Sasuke who was following a hidden path towards the horizon.

Gaara knew a sand storm could be deadly in a desert, where nothing could stop the wind in its track; he could only imagine what a snowstorm could do in a cold area such as this one. He was used to enduring all kinds of conditions, but this cold was something else! He was used to the cold in the desert at night, which was a deadly surprising contrast compared to the heat during the day! But this one reached deep in the bones!

"Sasuke, maybe I can create some kind of shelter with my sand," Gaara suggested, not sure how useful it could be.

First, the gourd only had a limited amount of sand, and he would need a lot to create a thick wall around everyone, including the horse and carriage. Second, his fingers could barely move because of the cold, and he never tried to use it in such a cold setting.

"Miss Abigail, are you alright?" Sai asked from behind the carriage. He could see her wobbling.

A strong gust of wind took her by surprise and pushed her against the carriage, knocking her hard. She knew her arm would have hurt if it was not for the cold to numb it. She straightened herself.

"Can you define "alright"?" she yelled back to cover the sound of the wind.

"Ok, everybody, stay where you are!" Gaara said.

He breathed on his hands a few times and bent his fingers twice to warm them up. He somehow managed to do a few hand signs and waved his hands in a wide circle. His sand raged around them, forming some sort of huge but thin termite mound. The sand covered them entirely, they could hear the deaf sound of the wind pushing against the newly made shelter. Gaara touched the shelter he made and observed it for a few seconds.

"I think it will stand," he said, satisfied and relieved.

Sai, Naruto and Shikamaru jumped in the carriage, hoping that the proximity would warm them up. The horse stomped happily on the ground. Sasuke petted his nose.

"God boy," he said.

Abigail stood beside the carriage. She couldn't move. She couldn't feel her fingers or her face. Gaara walked to her and rubbed her arms and took her hands and breathed into them.

"We might have underestimated the weather of this land," he said to Sasuke.

"Y-you d-did n-not," started Abigail, barely able to talk. She was shaking uncontrollably. "I d-did-d,"

As Gaara wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back to profit them both, she looked around in the small shelter. It was apparent that the shinobis were very cold, but she felt that she was the most affected by it. She should have brought more layers of clothes, gloves, hats, she even wondered if they knew about ski goggles here.

Shikamaru had emptied the carriage temporarily, so they could all fit in the carriage; the closer they were all to each other, the warmer they would get. Gaara and Sasuke helped Aby hop in and she let herself fall on her bum, shivering.

Gaara and Sasuke came in last and they waited for the wind to, hopefully, calm down.

"The sand feels like ice," Gaara said when he touched its inside wall. "I'm not sure if it will stand still or if it will crack eventually."

"Dude, I feel like we are in your coffin," joked Naruto to try to lighten things up.

"We can't stay for too long," Sasuke said. "It will be even more difficult to reach our destination in the middle of the night. There are creatures that we might have a hard time to see in the dark."

"Creatures? In this cold?" said Aby, surprised.

"There are creatures that adapt to all kinds of weather and conditions. They also adapted to all kinds of terrain," he answered.

"Can we make a small fire, somehow?" asked Abigail. But Gaara shook its head.

"It's too dangerous. There would be nowhere for the smoke to escape. In fact, that's another thing, oxygen will become low eventually. I agree with Sasuke. It is perfect to rest a little, but we should keep going soon."

Abigail grunted in disapproval.

"You can stay in the carriage if you want," Sasuke said with compassion.

"No," she replied. "I need to keep moving to keep warm."

"We still have time," Gaara said. "Let's not worry about it for now."

Abigail started to feel sleepy as the cold was slowly subsiding. She rested her head against Gaara's shoulder, her hands and arms hidden between him and her. Naruto observed his friend's arms around Abigail.

"It looks good on you, y-know?" he said with a smile. Gaara looked back at Naruto with an inquisitive look in his eyes. "I'm happy you finally got to experience that! Y-know? Love?"

Gaara smiled and looked down at Abigail. Sasuke, Shikamaru and Sai looked down as well, but with a sad look on their face.

"_It's just too bad she'll have to go back where she's from," _they all thought.

* * *

Abigail woke up when the wind blew on her face. She grunted and felt like crying. "_Not yet!" _she begged inside. Gaara had the sand get back into the sand gourd and they resumed their walk. The snow had stopped, but the wind was just as cold.

Gaara kissed her on her forehead. "I'm sorry," he said, "but we have to keep going, or we'll never get there."

She jumped out of the carriage and walked. They had told her she could stay in, but she didn't want to feel like they were working for her, getting her to a destination and trying to make it as comfortable for her as possible. She would walk and work as hard as them.

She was hungry! Her belly rumbled loudly and was joined by Naruto's belly; the fact that they all could hear the grumble in the wind made them laugh. Sai reached for some more jerky and they all munched on it while walking.

The wind was now joined by ice rain, to Abigail's despair. This was by far, the worst journey she had ever attempted. What had she been thinking?! She would never complain against a 1 star motel ever again. The horse was heavy enough for his hooves to pierce the snow, but Abigail kept on sliding on the ice rain covered ground. Seriously! The only good thing about ice rain is when it stops! Well, that, and the crystal-like trees the next day when the sun is out; it makes for a very pretty sight. However, there were no trees here.

The terrain was changing on the horizon. Even if the sun wasn't in the picture, they knew when it went down by the day getting darker and darker. They could see rocks ahead, and boulders, and some sort of broken down pillars. Ruins? And further past the ruins; lights! A sure sign of civilization far in the distance.

Upon reaching the rocks and boulders, the wind slowed down and they could move a little better. They were now walking among debris of what used to be some sort of temple? She could see arches that were once high above the ground; they had collapsed on top of broken pillars. Some other pillar stood around, some seemingly complete, others, only the base. It was eerie, to say the least.

The lights in the distance shut off one by one, except for a few that remained on.

"What are these?" asked Abigail. "Those lights, what are they? Houses?"

"It's probably a small village. If the lights are off, then it must be late. People are going to sleep, most likely. The ones that are still on might be INNs or other small pub, still opened at this—"

Sasuke was cut short by a kunai flying right in his shoulder. Abigail gasped in fear and the shinobis surrounded Sasuke who lowered himself, grinding his teeth while removing the kunai. He ignored the pain and grabbed a shuriken from his side pouch before throwing it back in the direction where the kunai came from.

They all looked up and around, frantically trying to find the person who sent the kunai. Another one came from the other side and bounced against Gaara's sand.

Naruto jumped on a boulder, to a pillar and finally on one of the arches. He pointed to a shadow that was now on the ground, beside another pillar, right behind Abigail.

"THERE!"

"HEY!"

The shouts confused Abigail who didn't know where to look. She was pushed on the ground by Gaara when the shadow moved to grasp her.

Sai attempted to catch the person's hand but it slipped away.

The person stopped moving long enough to show her identity.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"_Sakura! Here? How is that possible?!"_

Sakura's target, as before, was Abigail. Gaara jumped on his feet and received a kunai in the stomach; however, he disintegrated, the sand crumbling all over the ground, some of it moving with the wind. He reappeared from behind her, swinging a kunai at her and attempting a back kick that reached her. She moved about 2 meters back, holding her stomach with one hand and steadying herself with the other on the ground. She lifted her head up to look at her opponents, but she showed no pain or emotions on her face. Her eyes were still dark and hollow. She had no layers on her body, except for her normal clothes. Her skin was grayish.

Sasuke was holding his breath, more disturbed than he ever was before, almost paralyzed. For a moment, he feared that she was dead but moving because of some kind of jutsu.

"She's cold as ice!" cried Sai, still in fighting position.

"SAKURA!" Naruto yelled. "Oh my God! What did they do to you?!" he added with a choked up voice.

Abigail observed Sakura and gasped. She ran to Sasuke.

"She's alive! Look at her shoulders! She is breathing, she's catching her breath!"

"She's right!" Shikamaru said.

Sakura straightened herself up once more and attacked again. However, this time, Sasuke woke up from his nightmare and caught Sakura, throwing her out of Abigail's way.

"You guys go! Bring Abigail to the village! Get her out of here! I'll take care of Sakura!"

Sasuke activated his sharingan, and looked through Sakura's chakra flow while fighting with her.

"I'm not leaving you with her!" Naruto said, trying to restrain Sakura as well.

"You have to go with Abigail! You are the strongest! She might need your help! You too Lord Gaara!"

"Naruto! Go! I will stay!" Sai added between two counter attack.

"I'm staying too!" Shikamaru said while holding his intertwined fingers up. "SHADOW POSSESSION JUTSU!"

Shikamaru's shadow spread from his feet, almost reaching Sakura, but the shadow strings were cut short from a cloud passing in front of the moon.

"Dammit!" he whispered under his breath.

Sakura was out of kunai, so she moved around, using taijutsu. Sasuke was barely able to touch her arm, without being able to restrain her. She was, indeed, cold as ice, and thought her muscles wouldn't be able to endure such activity much longer without tearing apart in the cold. He stayed on the ground and watched, his sharingan on her, looking through every inch of her body. Then he saw it!

"_It's on the left side of her brain!" _he thought.

"Guys! Whatever it is, it's something implanted in her head!"

* * *

Abigail was staring back, from inside the carriage. Naruto and Gaara ran beside the carriage, the horse racing ahead.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I'm more concerned about Shikamaru, Sai and Sasuke!" Naruto said, out of breath.

"But, what are they gonna do? Are they gonna join us back eventually?"

"...I don't know," Naruto said. "I don't know what's gonna happen."

For the first time, Abigail could see the uncertainty on Naruto's face.

* * *

Sai took his paintbrush, put it between his teeth and brought his scroll and laid it in front of him. The huge blank scroll took some space on the snow covered ground.

"SUPER BEAST SCROLL!"

He took the paintbrush and painted something invisible on it. A huge ink beast with wings appeared on the scroll and, after a few hand signs, the two dimensional beast came out of the scroll and flew above Sakura. The talons began to take a three dimensional shape, followed by the body and wings, and finally, the head. The black inked creature screeched and dove down on Sakura who dodged it. She tried to high kick the beast, but it flew off before she could.

Sasuke ran to her, trying once again to restrain her, but she was so quick!

Sakura was attacking everyone, with the intent to injure. The shinobis could only dodge and counter; trying to stop her. She grabbed a hold of Sai's scroll who was still attached to him and made him fall on the ground. She tried to strangle him, but he quickly pushed her backward with his knee, rolling back on her.

"I GOT HER!" he cried, but she sneaked out of his grip with agility.

In a matter of seconds, she rolled a few inches away, grabbed Sai's scroll and shoved it over his head and pulled it back against his throat. Her strength took him by surprise. If he didn't try to pull away, she would have crushed his neck. He struggled with his feet but couldn't get back up because of the slippery ground. She had him good! For a moment, he thought he was in deep trouble. The scroll she was pulling towards her was cutting the airflow and threatening to break his neck.

However, Sasuke side-kicked her out and freed Sai from her grasp. Sai rolled away, catching his breath, struggling to rise on his feet.

She steadied herself up and cracked her neck. The moon shone on her dirty and frozen hair. When she tried to walk, she realized she couldn't move. Even her head was paralyzed. She rolled her eyes down and saw strings of shadows; her gaze followed them to their source.

"No, I got her!" Shikamaru said, kneeling on the ground, his fingers intertwined, indexes pointing upward. "SHADOW POSSESSION JUTSU COMPLETE!"

She grinded her teeth, struggling to move even a finger. Sasuke ran to her, wondering how to stop whatever was in her brain.

"I know where it is, but how do I remove it?!" he shouted.

"Sakura once said something about fine target concentration healing," said Sai with a raspy voice as he slowly stood to his feet. He had a hand on his neck and was still catching his breath "Like, try to overheat whatever is controlling her with your chakra, concentrating it like a needle on it!"

"Guys?!" started Shikamaru, with a shaky voice.

"I need to be very precise! If she moves, my chakra can touch another part of her brain and damage it!"

"Guys!"

"Yes, it's a dangerous procedure," Sai turned to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, she needs to be very still!"

"Yeah well, hurry up! The moon is about to hide back behind the clouds!"

"Hold her down, Sai!" Sasuke said, as he put his index finger on her scalp, right above the spot where he could see the thing. A fine flow of blue chakra penetrated Sakura's head. The shadow possession started to lose its strength.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru growled. "Hurry! I can't hold it anymore!"

"Sai! Hold her head!"

Sai held Sakura's arms with one hand and pulled her hair down, almost in a barbaric way. She started to gain back her mobility and her head shook a little.

"SHIKAMARU!" shouted Sasuke.

"I CAN'T HOLD IT ANYMORE! Sasuke! Look out!"

As the shadow possession completely disappeared, Sakura felt control of her own body. However, before she could do anything, Sasuke put his mouth on hers, hard; which startled her and the other two shinobis.

His eyes were still open, focusing on shooting the fine needle chakra in her head.

"_Just a little more,"_ he thought, begging Sakura to stay still just a little longer.

Shikamaru joined Sai and held her as well. Sasuke saw the dark spot in her brain almost gone. He finally stopped the flow once the spot was completely gone, and felt Sakura's body become limp. Her eyes regained her emerald green color and he could see the shock expression in them. She soon collapsed, unconscious.

"I think she's back," said Shikamaru. "But she's barely alive! Look at her! She's as cold as ice!"

Sasuke took off his cloak and shirt and covered her with them, shivering.

"Sasuke! You can't!" started Sai.

"I'll be f-fine," he responded, shaking.

Sai took his scroll, once more, summoning the super beast. Once again, the huge winged beast came out and took on a three dimensional shape.

"Get on! Quickly!" he said to Sasuke and Shikamaru. He helped them get Sakura on the beast and once he was on it, they took off, flying to the village they could see on the horizon. Sai took off his own cloak and put it on Sasuke's naked torso. "Hang on, I'll get us there as quickly as I can!"

* * *

Abigail heard a pair of wings flap their way. It was getting closer and closer. She looked up and saw her friends on top of a giant bird-like creature passing them and flying towards the village where they were heading.

"Looks like they managed somehow to get a hold on Sakura," Gaara said.

"Are you sure?" Abigail's eyes lit up. "Did you see her up there? I couldn't see anything!"

"You betcha!" Naruto exclaimed with pride. "Leave it to these guys to get Sakura in good hands! I'm not sure what they did, but I have a good feeling about this! Believe it!"

"Looks like they are in a better situation than we are!" Gaara said.

"Why?"

Abigail was answered by a few growls coming from either side of them. Shadowy creatures were running through the ruins, left and right. She couldn't see what they were, maybe wolves? No. These creatures looked bony and disproportionate.

Gaara and Naruto kept running beside the carriage.

"Aby, stay low!" Gaara said. He made a hand sign and dozens of sharp sand needles rained down all around them. Some creatures snarled sharply as some needles took them by surprise, landed inches away from them. Others yelped and stopped chasing.

As the needles came down, one by one, the creatures declared forfeit; all but one. The tenacious beast pounced on the horse, but was killed by Naruto's rasengan.

Soon, only the sound of running and carriage wheels could be heard. Aby lifted up her head to see her surroundings from the carriage. Seeing that the danger had gone, the shinobis and the horse slowed their pace. Abigail looked back and saw the last remaining of the creatures looking back at them, but not pursuing.

"They stopped following!"

"Yes," Gaara said, "A smart decision!"

They observed in the distance the bird-like creature diving down towards a lit house. Only the top part of this house was visible to them. It was hidden by more boulders and rocks and debris.

"Wherever this is, it looks like we're going there," Naruto said. "Man, I hope Sakura's ok!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

They finally reached the village. The horse bobbed its head and neighed in delight when he was finally unhooked from the carriage and led to the slightly run down horse stable by the INN. A man was snoring by the door inside and woke up frightened when he heard the loud knocking. He opened the large creaking stable door cautiously and shushed a few horses who stomped their feet.

"Yes? You sleepin' at the INN?"

"We're hoping to." Gaara answered.

"We? Ahhhh," he said peeking towards the INN door, moving his old dirty grey hat further back on his head . "You can bring your carriage over there, on the side! We don't have a lot of visitors around here! You'll have no problem stayin' over. Are you with the bunch who came here a few minutes ago?" the man asked as he grabbed the reins from Gaara's hands.

"Um, yes."

"Ahhh, the strangest thing happened! There was this huge bird they were ridin'!" he said as he was leading the horse to its enclosure for the night. "I went to tell 'em I didn't have any stall for such a big creature but that thing just went "POOF"! It just disappeared!" The man walked in the stall with the horse and affectionately removed its harness. "There you go pal, here's some fresh hay and water fo' ya! Hey!" he added, turning back towards Gaara. He studied him from head to toe, looking at the white and green cloak and hat dangling from his gourd. His eyes lit up. "Are you one o' those ninjas from the desert?"

Gaara smiled and nodded, pointing to the symbol on his hat.

"Oh! I knew it! I've never seen one before!" he exclaimed as if Gaara was some sort of rare specimen. "I must tell you, you look just like the rest of us! Maybe a lil' darker! I was picturing y'all taller and bigger!"

"We all come in different shapes and sizes. I better get back to my—"

"Oh I wasn't trying to be a smarty pants, stories are the only things that reach us out here! Stories from the 4th great ninja war! That was a scary one! One in particular is of the general leader of the army; He was apparently very young and managed even to seal a couple of zombies by himself!"

"...zombies?"

"You know! The revenants? The dead folks who came back to life because of some crazy jutsu?"

Gaara snorted before he could hold it in.

"Wha? Isn't that what happened?" the man shouted, vexed.

"More or less," Gaara answered with a smile.

"Well you gotta admit, that general is an inspiration! I hear he was also the leader of his village! Kages I think they're called. Anyway, he wasn't as big as the great Naruto, but still! Kudos to your village for having such a strong ninja! What was his name again?"

Gaara looked at the man, not sure if he was joking or not. The hat and cloak should have been an obvious indication of who Gaara was.

"Gaara ... still is."

"Ah yes! Well, send him my regards if you can! I'm not sure how easy it is to get close…"

"Consider it done," he answered before walking towards the INN. Whoever this man was, he must not have traveled a lot.

When he walked in the INN, Naruto and Abigail were already at the front desk. A few curious heads turned his way before resuming their conversation.

"It's for the three of us, but some of our friends we were travelling with came in before us, maybe half an hour ago. A girl might have been with them. One of them I know is injured, but I don't know if more were,"

"Ah yes, your friend said you would be coming. The girl is in bad shape. The rest of them seem ok."

"Sakura?"

"You will find them in the upper large room at the end of the hallway. In the meantime, we'll get rooms ready for you all."

"Thanks old man!" Naruto said before climbing up the stairs two by two, followed by Abigail.

* * *

The room was the largest with three beds in it. However, only one was occupied at the moment. Four medical ninjas were bent over Sakura who was unconscious; their hands hovered over her body. She had two bags of fluids hooked up to her. Abigail glanced to the bed beside hers; Sasuke was sitting on it. He did not say a word when they came in; but acknowledged them, as did the others. A very slim and sparkly lady was tending to Sasuke's shoulder; wrapping the last bit of bandage on it. She then put a thick blanket on his shoulders as he was still shivering from the cold. She came close to Gaara and watched him from head to toe before giving him a lavish smile.

"Hello there! Are you injured as well?" she asked him, almost hopeful. When he shook his head, she nodded with a big smile. "Thank goodness!"

She walked in front of him and planted herself in front of Abigail. "Oh dear! You poor thing! Let me get you something warm to drink. In fact, I'll bring everyone something to warm you up! Y'all look like ice cubes! I'll be right back! My name is Eve, by the way!"

The lady brought her long red hair into a high ponytail that still landed down gracefully on her lower back. She batted an eyelash towards Gaara and proceeded to run down the stairs.

"She's got very pretty hair," said Sai.

"And a nice figure too!" added Shikamaru, to tease Abigail, sensing she had a rival.

She shrugged it off and walked towards the medical ninjas. "How is she?"

They did not answer right away. They already answered that question earlier. They needed to focus on what they were doing.

"Not good," Sasuke said, looking at Sakura. "She has been following us all this time. In the cold. In the rain. She hasn't eaten for a while, according to them. And who knows when was the last time she drank anything; she is severely dehydrated. Her body was somehow being controlled or manipulated, as if her body was top shape. I was able to destroy the source of the issue, but she fell unconscious right away."

Aby didn't know if she heard relief in his voice, or concern, or guilt. Or maybe a little of all? He looked exhausted, and ready to sleep.

"I think she's in good hands," Aby said to comfort him. "You guys did good. It was definitely a close call!"

"She's not out of the woods yet," one of the medics said. "We are warming her body now, but her chakra is pretty much depleted. We're not sure when she's going to wake up, but she seems to be a fighter." The medic stopped the healing chakra transfer and pulled out two bags of fluids out of a large backpack.

"You got that right!" Naruto said. "She's been trained by the fifth Hokage! She'll come out of it! She's a monster!"

The medic hooked one bag on a tube and hooked the tube to one of Sakura's arms, completely oblivious of what was going on.

"I agree with Naruto on that," Sai said with a choked up voice, stroking his throat.

The medic then took another syringe full of bright red liquid and also hooked it to the tube. Once this was over, he placed his hands back over Sakura and resumed the transfer of healing chakra.

"Did you guys make it out ok?" asked Shikamaru to Gaara, at last.

"Yes, just a few shadow wolves," he answered.

"So those were wolves?!" Aby asked. A perky voice answered from the stairs.

"Shadow wolves! Ugly thick wrinkly dark skin that protects them against the cold. They come out at night and boy were you guys lucky to survive them!" Eve said as she came back, holding a huge platter full of warm tea mugs. "These guys don't have much to eat! How did you make it here alive?" she asked Gaara directly.

Abigail couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"He sent needles made of sand flying at them. Most of them got scared and stopped chasing." Aby said, trying to get her attention off Gaara.

"Most?"

"Well, Naruto finished the last one with his Rasengan."

"Oh my! And what did you do?" she asked with an over-excited; over-interested expression.

Abigail stared back with a blank face. "... Well … I didn't … I couldn't—"

"Oh … Hey It's ok honey!" she said while handing her a ceramic mug full of tea. "I don't have any ninjutsu skills either! It's always more fun to be taken care of anyway, if you know what I mean!" she whispered with a wink.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE TAKEN CARE OF!" she said louder than she meant. The lady who was already handing a mug to Gaara turned back to face her. So did the shinobis. "I mean, I'm training. I'm not on par at the moment but …"

"Abigail has phenomenal water skills!" Naruto exclaimed. "Once she can control her power, she'll become someone to reckon with!"

"There you go!" the lady said, giving a tea mug to the rest of the shinobis. "Oh but, isn't snow made of water?" she asked. Abigail didn't answer. She didn't even think of that! Would it have worked? Snow and water didn't have the same consistency or shape, or even weight!

Eve smiled. "At least you have something, I don't have any of those skills," she said to Gaara with an embarrassed look.

"Well," he said, "You do have the skill to warm up people with your tea."

Abigail and Eve both looked at him surprised and Eve bursted out laughing ridiculously loudly with a hand on her belly.

"OH! That was too funny! You are right! hahaha!" she exclaimed with her hand on his arm, lingering before leaving the room to go back downstairs, in the common room.

Gaara shrugged and turned to Abigail which, to his surprise, was glaring at him.

"What?!" he asked.

She got closer and whispered in his ear. "I have the skill to warm you up to!"

Gaara frowned and watched her inquisitively. "Wha-What do you mean?"

Aby moved her fingers lightly and some of the hot tea spilled over Gaara's hand and shirt.

"ARRRRRHHHH! Oooow!"

He switched hands to hold the cup and shook the one in pain. He looked at Abigail, dumbfounded.

"Oups! Was that too hot? I'm so sorry," she exclaimed with a hand over her mouth. "As I said, I'm not on par yet."

She shrugged her shoulders and left to inquire about the rooms for the night.

"What was that all about?" he asked, still shaking his hand.

"Dude," Naruto said, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Women are like that. It's a malfunction of the female brain; they short circuit for no good reason. You'll learn to deal with that."

"Really?"

"Naruto is an idiot," started Shikamaru. "But he's right on that one. They're all like that."

"What?" Gaara's eyes widened. "Wait! My sister too?!"

Shikamaru nodded sadly and took a sip of tea.

As Sai tried to give his humble opinion to the men that it might have had something to do with the fact that Eve seemed to have been all over Gaara to begin with and perhaps Abigail might have felt jealousy, but really, what did he know about women; Sasuke laid down on his side, still looking at Sakura and her medical team, wondering if she would be awake in the morning. His eyelids were so heavy that he gave up the fight to stay awake and fell asleep.

* * *

Abigail put the big old iron key on the night stand beside the bed. The INN was much different from the rooms she had been sleeping in until now. The outside walls were made of thick rocks and bricks, the inside walls were covered in wood, reminding her of a cottage. Although the mattress was not as soft, the room was very cozy. There was a fire lit in the fireplace in the corner of the room, a door leading to a closet not too far beside it. A window beside her bed gave to the frozen port that they would probably go to in the morning. There was no washroom in the room, but a small table with a bowl and a closed jar filled with room temperature water.

She had taken the most wonderful shower she had ever had. Ironically, it was a public shower. There was one for men, and one for women. But she had welcomed the hot jets on her skin and lingered in there. She literally felt 5 pounds lighter. She undressed herself and fetched a long off-white silk shirt from her bag. She put it over her head and went under the cover.

It was definitely more comfortable than in the carriage, outside, in the cold wind and rain and snow. She closed her eyes and squeezed the thick comforter.

The warmth and comfort took over all other sensations and she closed her eyes, seeing him behind her closed eyelids, he was wearing a soft light grey Japanese style shirt over the matching pants, whispering something into her ear that made her blush. She laughed as she petted something beside her. Something powerful and big, something friendly; something white and soft. She couldn't see what it was, though she knew somehow.

Unaware that she was already sleeping, her imagination took the shape of a beautiful dream.

There were Sakura trees all around them. A gentle breeze was making some of the petals fall. It was a rain of Sakura tree petals, just like in anime. It was such a beautiful day! One would think that such a day would attract people! But they were completely alone!

Gaara pulled her closer, laced his hands with hers and put his forehead against hers. He pushed back a strand of hair from her face.

_Come on! Kiss me!_ She thought with a smile. _What are you waiting for?_

Instead he teased her with a smile and made her twirl amidst the delicate pink petals. He did that a few times, bringing her back closer, then making her twirl; to the point where she was getting frustrated, but disguising it with a smile.

_I want you to hold me! Kiss me!_

As if he could feel her frustration, he finally stopped the silly twirling. He caressed her cheek; his fingers ran through her hair and he kissed her. She felt giddy. The butterflies soon turned into a heartache. She opened her eyes and saw the world literally spin around her. Gaara, completely unaware of the situation, kept his mouth on hers.

She frowned in her sleep. She was nauseous.

The world kept on spinning faster and faster; lightning and thunder appeared out of nowhere. The roaring wind was furious! They were now seemingly in the midst of a tornado. The ground was shaking all around them and there was loud shattering of glass and screams and ground quaking. Gaara never removed his lips from hers. She heard a croaking voice inside her head.

"You're a tease, aren't you!" it was laughing.

_No I'm not!_

"Look at you! The world is crumbling around you, and all you want is to fuck him!"

_No! I … That's not true! I love him!_

She felt really sick, but she couldn't stop the kissing. Gaara was completely unaware of anything. She heard the unusual loud sound of a pen scribbling on paper. The world abruptly stopped spinning and Gaara released her at last. She was so dizzy that she couldn't hold herself up. She staggered and lost her balance. Her legs collapsed and she fell on all fours. An overwhelming urge to vomit came upon her.

She looked towards Gaara who was now on the ground, starring out with horrified glassy eyes; Blood was coming out of his nose, eyes and mouth. She screamed but no sound came out. She knelt down beside him. She tried to wipe the blood from his face and stared at the blood on her trembling hands and cried, shaking uncontrollably. The urge to vomit, but it was stuck in her throat. She looked up to see a hooded man whose eyes hid within the shadow. He smiled, showing white teeth and held a notebook in his right hand that he shut closed with a loud "smack".

"You've got no skills, whore." he croaked before turning away and leaving. She ran after him, but the faster she tried to run, the slower she would move. She screamed again, but no sound came out. The nausea was unbearable. She was gagging, but nothing came out.

The hooded man turned to face her once more. He took his notepad and wrote some more. The sounds of the scribbling circled around her and forced their way inside her head, dizzying her even more. She felt the hot acidic gunk in her throat and, as the man smiled, she fell to the ground, choking on her own vomit. His smile turned wicked and he closed the notepad with a loud "smack" once more, and watched her struggle to take a breath, the vomit was coming up, but she was unable to release it out of her mouth. She glanced at Gaara to her side, still lifeless, then the lack of oxygen took her sight away.

She woke up and threw up all over the floor. She fell from her bed in the process, disoriented, and vomited some more before she was able to take a comforting deep breath. She coughed a few time and cried. It took her some time to calm down and catch her breath, alarmed and a little freaked out at how sick she had been.

She held herself on all four with trembling hands. The work it took her body to release whatever mess that was on the floor had weakened her. She sat down and turned away from the mess; afraid that she would vomit again. She took a few minutes, then got up and walked towards the bowl and water jug. She looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of a girl who was sweating profusely.

She's never had a nightmare like that before. She emptied the jug in the bowl and washed her face. She even took a mouthful of water from the jug and rinsed her mouth and released it in the bowl. She looked around to see what she could clean the floor with but didn't see anything. She sat on the bed and stared at the vomit. The smell was already getting stronger. She couldn't just dismiss it and go back to sleep to deal with it in the morning. She forced herself to put her pants on and wobbled out of the door to go to the main desk.

When she passed in front of Gaara's door, the memory of his dead body came back to her and her heart stopped. She went straight for his door and pushed it opened, dreading what she would see. But he was sleeping; or at least, he was, before she barged in.

His shinobi instinct woke him as soon as the door opened and he held a kunai, ready to throw it at the door, where Abigail was standing. Both of them sighed in relief, though maybe not for the same reason.

Gaara was about to lecture her but stopped himself when she started to cry.

"Aby? What's wrong? Are you ok?" he whispered in the night.

She shook her head and closed the door behind her. She climbed on his bed and rested against his naked torso.

He realized that she was shaking and covered in sweat. What the heck happened?

"Aby, you look like you just saw a ghost!"

"I just watched you die!" she said, still crying.

"You had a nightmare. I'm still very much alive!"

"I know that! It looked so real!" She put a hand on her forehead. "It felt so freaking real."

"Did … did you vomit?" he asked when he smelled her hair.

"Yes,"

She backed away, suddenly self-conscious of the smell, but relieved that he was ok.

"I'm sorry, I'll let you sleep, this nightmare was … anyway." She left for the door.

"Are you gonna be ok?" he asked, concerned.

"I need to ask the front desk if they can clean the mess and hopefully I can take another shower." she said annoyed. All she wanted was to go back to bed, although she was afraid to fall asleep. She looked at him and a thought sneaked in her head. Her heart started to race and goosebumps appeared on her arms. He stared back at her.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he offered while removing the blanket, revealing a pair of loose pants.

She shivered some more. "N-No, I'm ok, thanks." She shook the thoughts away and left.

* * *

A night staff had agreed to open the showers for her. So she took another quick one while the staff member cleaned her room. She was very grateful for the help. She wrapped the towel around her and walked to her room. The lady had just finished and was leaving.

"Would you like tea ma'm?"

"Sure, thank you very much. I really appreciate you doing all this in the middle of the night.

"No problem ma'm."

Abigail could see that the lady wanted to say something but was hesitating. When she handed the tea mug to her. Aby asked.

"What's up?"

"Nothing! It's just …"

"What?"

"Well, my grandfather used to say that nightmares are always bad omens! He would tell me to take a closer look at what they meant. Maybe you should do the same!"

She curtsied and left the room, leaving Abigail on her own. She stared at the door before sitting down on the bed. It was just a nightmare. Things she feared in real life; that was all.

She laid down and stared out of the window where she could see the moon through the foggy night. She was still afraid of going back to sleep. Ironically, the fear of reliving the nightmare made her remember every single part of it. Was the girl right? Was this a bad omen? Was it a warning? The man in the dream had used his notepad to kill her and Gaara somehow.

She turned to face the wall.

_But Yashiko is dead, or should I say, Anthony?_ Is there another one? Maybe it's not over?

She sat down and braided her wet hair for no particular reason. She was just looking for something to do. But no matter what she did, the images and thoughts came back to her. They were clear images in her head; Gaara laying there with blood on his face. The man said she had no skills. But she had trained! She was getting better! What was she missing? Maybe it was time for her to put her training to the test against real thugs?

She laid back down. _It's not like I can just go and purposely look for criminals just to fight! _

Was Gaara in danger? The thought of it seemed unlikely. It usually was the opposite! People near him were in danger! However things seemed different since she came here. He was getting hurt more often. His sand didn't seem to always respond. Was she, somehow, affecting his sand shield when she was around?

_What if he dies tomorrow?_

The thought came out of nowhere. It was unfounded, but nagging and scary. She sat down.

She wanted to be with him, right now, while she could.

She rose to her feet slowly and left her room. She walked on tippy toes to his room and knocked softly. Seeing that there was no answer, she couldn't help but be concerned. A normal person would just know that he was asleep, but she wasn't normal and this wasn't a normal night; her nightmare kept creeping in her memory. She pushed the door and walked in.

He was indeed sleeping. Instead of going back, she closed the door behind her and walked towards his bed. Her intention was to sneak beside him and fall asleep while holding him.

The creaking of the floor woke him. He looked at her, still sleepy.

"Are you OK?" he asked, "Is your room clean?". She climbed on the bed without a word and crawled to him. "Wh—"

She interrupted him with a gentle peck, followed by a longer soft kiss. It was not without surprise, but he took it, closed his eyes and kissed her back. She pressed her body against his and he kissed a little harder. She truly only wanted to sleep, but ...

It had been a while since they were together like this; the last time it happened, when they were truly alone, it scared her; it reminded her of the close call she had with the thugs. She was now getting passionate, very quickly … this was not like her.

He pushed himself back a little and looked in her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on; this felt different. It felt like she was scared of something; that she needed something. Her eyes answered with silent words, hoping that he would understand. They stared into each other's eyes, seemingly having a silent conversation.

He finally lowered his gaze to her neck and brushed his lips there, and below her ear. She closed her eyes and welcomed the blissful feeling. Every butterfly kiss that he spread across the side of her neck gave her a new wave of goosebumps. When he switched to the other side, her body quivered; his lips went back to hers and his hands caressed her arms, slowly making their way up to her shoulders, then her neck and cheeks, than going back down her back, resisting the urge to go under the delicate silk shirt.

The thought that this could be a mistake slightly tickled both of their minds. Especially hers. She was trembling; it was her first time and she didn't quite know what to do next, so she let him take the lead. His guess, however, was as good as hers; it was also his first time, and only a few months ago, he would have told himself to stop this madness. Not only was she not of this world, but they were not even married! This would have brought shame and destroyed the honor of a woman in this world!

But now …

It was happening again. Her small hands on his face, the sound of her breathing; he was starting to lose his senses and this was a wonderful feeling. He was sure that she wanted this as well, she told him through her eyes. He was not sure why now, but, although he didn't want to hurt her; he was hoping she wouldn't change her mind because at this point, he didn't think he could stop himself. The sensations flowing through his blood was euphoric and addictive. For someone like him who never had love growing up, the need for skin to skin was multiplied a thousandfold.

She raised herself up on her knees, which brought her slightly higher than him, who was still in a sitting position. She smiled to herself as she felt "dominant". She ran her hands in his hair and let him open her mouth with his, welcoming his warm tongue against hers and tasting every bit of it. She liked it; it was wet and warm and soft and it was somehow very sensual. Nothing like the one Chris had offered before. Chris had nothing on Gaara. She shook the image away from her thoughts. She didn't want to even allow the thought of him to ruin this moment.

Gaara's hands were sliding down and up her back and neck, as if they were looking for something. The sweet smell of her freshly washed skin was making him dizzy. He could feel the anticipation building up with every kiss. Again, he kissed her neck and her fingers tightened her grip in his disheveled hair. At last, his hands went down on her lower bare back and came back up under her shirt; his hands softly feeling her smooth fair skin.

_More, _he thought. _Give me more._

He felt a wave of extreme heat when he realized that she wasn't wearing anything under that shirt. His kisses went even lower from the base of her neck to her chest; but the silky shirt, though soft and pleasant to the touch, was in the way. The shirt was not what he wanted to feel. __

_More..._

His mouth went back up to her lips, eyes still closed, and slowly pulled up her shirt over her head. Resisting the embarrassing desire to glance down, he looked up in her half opened eyes; he found eagerness in there as well. He pushed her gently down on the bed and slowly made his way down to her breasts.

She had not expected to react that way. Her body had been limp until now. She was enjoying every kiss and every touch. She was welcoming the sensuality of his tongue against hers. But _this_ made her body slightly jerk up. A sound came out of her lips without warning. His tongue on her breast; it did something to her brain. She smiled, amused at her own reaction.

While kissing her with hunger, Gaara's breathing became deep and his hands wandered lower towards her legs.

She arched her back at his touch and he loved it. The short breaths she was taking and the sounds that she made; he felt the animal in him coming out. An old primal feeling he once felt, but the feeling this time was not anger. It was something new. __

_More..._

He pressed his mouth hard against hers and she squeezed him tight with her legs, still arching her back as he was touching that part of her.

Without even thinking, he brought himself low on her. She was going to protest for a split second, but once again, the sensation took the best of her. She arched her back and breathed deeply. The moans drove him crazy. He didn't even know how he knew what to do, but it was working; for both of them. Her fingers were almost pulling at his deep brownish red hair and she was trying to catch her breath.

She put a hand over her mouth to quiet the sounds that she couldn't contain, but Gaara removed it and held it down. He loved the sounds she made.

Reading through his reaction, she didn't have the state of mind to giggle for long. She was experiencing ecstasy. He came back up and she felt him entering her. She opened her eyes and looked to her left; she observed the room in a state of half trance. Sand was furiously swirling all around them. It wasn't threatening, on the contrary, she felt it was manifesting through his emotions; it added to the pleasure she felt; but it was cut short by a sharp pain she didn't expect. She yelped and Gaara removed himself right away.

"Are you OK? Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head and brought him back against her. She had forgotten about that; the first time might hurt. But the pain was soon replaced with bliss.

They both peeled their eyes on each other's, with a few droplets of sweat dripping down their temples, feeding on each other's facial expression. It was like a unique conversation between their bodies, one that seemingly was overdue.

_'This_, Gaara thought, _must be the greatest reward of a shinobi; the love of a woman to contrast with the violence of the world._


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Sasuke woke up on the same bed he fell asleep. He sat on the bed with his hair sticking to his face. His body felt stiff; nothing a good shake couldn't fix in his case. He noticed the blanket was pulled over him. This is something Sakura would do if he would fall asleep; but when he looked to the bed beside him, she was still sleeping, or rather, unconscious.

He rose to his bare feet and got closer; putting a hand on her dry forehead. Her breathing was normal, she didn't have a fever, she wasn't in serious danger anymore.

He sighed, relieved, and placed the palm of his hand on her cheek. He sat on the bed and moved his hand to her's, which was still hooked on fluid. The two bags were full, which suggested that she had taken in the two previous bags from last night already. Another red syringe was inserted in the bag that was hooked on her. He supposed that she had needed a lot of nutrients after all this time.

One of the medics from last night came into the room and noticed Sasuke sitting beside Sakura.

"Oh, you are awake!" You were so exhausted, we thought better to let you sleep here." The medical ninja took her temperature quickly, then nodded with satisfaction. "Like I said, a fighter! She'll be fine, but exhausted. She might sleep for another Day! Who knows!"

"So she's not in a coma?"

"Ehhhhhh not really … just very tired. It's like her body rebooted itself. Even if you would try to wake up, her brain won't care. Her body needs to rest, and feed! But she looks better already!"

"OK, that's good then …"

They would have to leave without her for the rest of the journey. He doubted they would want to wait for her to wake up. The idea to stay with her crossed his mind, but she wasn't his mission. Abigail was his mission. He had to follow her.

"I saw your friends downstairs. There's still time for breakfast. Are you OK to go? I can ask the front desk to bring you food if you want."

Sasuke chuckled. "No, it's fine. I've had worse than that. I'll go."

"Suit yourself!" the medic said before leaving.

Sasuke spared another look at Sakura and lingered before he rose to his feet, feeling a little dizzy, and went downstairs.

The place was as empty as it was the night before. Only another couple was sitting in a corner of the place. Across the room were all his team, except for Abigail.

"I see the person of interest is still sleeping?" he said nonchalantly.

"She did not sleep very well last night; she had a very bad dream, to the point where she got sick." Gaara explained.

"Damn!" Naruto exclaimed. "That must have been a hell of a nightmare! She got sick?!"

"Yes, in the middle of the night."

"Wow that sucks! But wait, how do you know that?" Naruto asked.

Gaara froze while drinking his black coffee. He nervously looked up from his coffee mug, not sure what to answer.

"Come on man! Smarten up a bit! Obviously she told him!" Shikamaru said, indignant. "_Future Hokage_," he mumbled between his teeth, shaking his head.

"But it was in the middle of the night! He just woke up!"

"She must have sought help," suggested Sai.

"Yes, that is what happened," Gaara simply said; which was true.

"So what do we do?" Sai started, "Are we crossing the polar sea?"

"We will go through the lightning Bay, and north west along the mountain, towards the Polar sea," said Sasuke.

"Why is it so foggy?" asked Sai, looking out the window, towards the marina. The water over the horizon was cut by a wall of fog.

"Because there is a big natural hot spot on the seafloor. It's boiling at the bottom, but cooling at the top. So the water is slightly warmer than the air, which creates fog over it. But don't let that fool you. It is still very cold."

"Uh, what do ya know!" said Naruto. "I forgot about that! Hey Sasuke, how is she?"

All heads turned towards Sasuke, hoping for good news.

"She is still sleeping. She will probably will for a while; but she's OK."

"ALL RIGHT!"

They all shushed Naruto as it was still early.

"What?! There's literally no one here but us!"

"What's all this commotion?" asked Abigail. She appeared behind a lady who was transporting a huge platter of onigiri rice balls.

"Woa! We didn't see you coming! I see you got some sneaking skills under your belt!" said Naruto.

"Good morning," she said, she glanced towards Gaara who smiled while drinking from his mug. She smiled back and sat beside Naruto.

"About time!" said Shikamaru with a smirk.

"Sorry, I overslept."

She shyly took an onigiri rice ball and ate while looking down. She was still slightly sore from last night and the memory gave her goosebumps. She felt Gaara's eyes on her the whole time and she couldn't help but to glance at him once more.

She had woken up alone in his bed. He was gone, but his smell remained on his pillow. She had kept her naked body under the warm and soft blanket and looked back behind closed eyes at what transpired only a few hours ago.

She blushed and smiled at the memory, as Gaara slowly pushed a black coffee to her, keeping his own in his other hand. She took it, touching his fingers at the same time.

"I wonder if we should bring her with us," said Sasuke.

Shikamaru looked at him, surprised, and frowned. Of all people here, Sasuke would have been the one to understand that she was not in a state of being able to be carried across the sea, in the icy cold weather.

"You know it's impossible," he simply said.

Sasuke meant to say something, then shrugged his shoulders. Of course he knew. He didn't know why he even suggested that.

"Yeah … I don't—"

"You should stay with her," Naruto said.

"... I can't, I have to —"

"Sure you can! We can't just leave her here by herself! I'm sure Kakashi sensei would be malleable to a slight change of plan!"

"She might have to go to the hospital," realized Sai.

"We can't bring her back through what we just went through, and there's no hospital nearby!" said Naruto. "They got her stabilized, now it's up to her to wake up!"

"Naruto has a point," Shikamaru started. "This is not a hospital, this is an Inn; the good folks here are not babysitters. Sakura is not their responsibility. I agree. Someone should stay here with her."

"See?"

Sasuke looked up towards the rooms. He couldn't send a note to Kakashi; his hawk didn't follow him in such a cold and remote place, but staying with her made sense, which made his heart lighter, for some reason. He turned to Sai.

"How difficult would it be for you to send a paper beast to Kakashi to deliver a note?"

"Hum … I can try. I never sent one this far from Konoha. But I think it's doable."

"I'll tell you what to write. If it is OK with everyone, I'll stay here."

He said everyone, but looked directly at Abigail who remained silent until now.

"Oh! It's fine with me! I don't think we have much farther to go to anyway."

The truth is she didn't know the specific location. She didn't even know what the creature would look like. As far as she knew, it could have been one of those wolves they saw the previous day!

"Good. I leave it to you then," he said to Gaara with a bow.

"I think we can handle it from here!" Naruto laughed. "I'm still going, so is Sai, Shikamaru and Gaara!"

"Naruto! Address him properly! Lord Kazekage!" Shikamaru lectured.

"Aw come on man! It'd be too weird!"

"It's fine, I don't mind at all," replied Gaara before taking a bite of his onigiri rice ball.

* * *

The men said their goodbyes and separated; Sasuke went upstairs, and the rest of the group made their way toward the exit. A gust of wind took their breath away as they opened the door. There was fresh snow on the ground and Abigail couldn't believe they would have to go even further in the cold. She wished they would find what she was looking for soon, or at least, what she thought she was looking for.

Sai put the scroll back on his back as the little bird containing the message flew away through the wind and snow. Gaara and Shikamaru explained to the stable guy why they needed to leave the horse here for a few days.

"No problem folks! I wish you good fortune, wherever you're goin'! I'll keep yo' girl safe here until you return."

"Thank you," Gaara said while handing a few coins to the man.

The same perky voice that made Abigail cringe was heard, running towards them.

"Lord Gaara! Please wait, I have something for you and your traveling companions!"

The man's ears reddened and his eyes grew bigger when the lady mentioned the name. He looked between the girl and Gaara, back and forth.

"Lord Gaara," said the girl, catching her breath and holding her knitted hat. "I took the liberty of taking these for you. You should eat them on your journey!" She handed him a brown paper bag filled with pork buns.

"Oh, thank you very much, it is very kind of you. We appreciate the generosity."

"Oh please! It's nothing! A Kazekage needs to be well fed! Ha Ha!" She turned to Abigail. "Make sure to keep him warm for me, dear." she said before winking at him. She seemed to wait for him to say something but laughed to hide her disappointment when he didn't. She turned and walked away. She stopped suddenly and came back to him, whispering as if it was a secret.

"You know what? If you need, you know, something _or someone_ on your way back, you are welcomed to stop by. I'll work something special for you," she said, putting her hand on his arm.

"I beg your pardon?" Gaara said, confused.

"You know, I do have the skills to warm up people ... with my tea," she added with a wink.

"Oh, OK."

She turned around and walked back inside.

"I mean," he started as they all left. "Her tea is good, but it's nothing that special … still … that was kind."

Shikamaru lifted his eyes to the sky while Gaara wasn't looking.

Abigail smiled, albeit the cold and wind. She observed Gaara putting on his Kazekage hat on his head, as if ready to do business and followed him, as did the others, towards the dock.

She drew closer and gently nudged him to take the bag off his hands.

"I'll take that for you."

"Thank you,"

Their eyes connected and lingered once more for a few seconds before glancing towards the marina.

Shikamaru and Naruto looked at each other and grinned.

* * *

"Hello there, somethin' I can do for you?"

"Yes, we're looking for transportation to go to the land of snow," Gaara explained to the big man sitting on one of the logs where boats were tied, near a huge fishing boat of some sort. The equipment on it was big and solid. Whatever this guy was fishing must have been big and heavy.

The boat rocked with the waves, pushing a few big ice plates on the water. It's crew, who were quite dressed heavily, were busy shouting directions at each other. Abigail wondered how anyone could fish anything in this weather.

The man spied her a few seconds and chuckled; as if reading her thoughts.

"We don't go hungry here m'am! As long as someone's willing to go out there, there's big catches to be reckoned with!" he said while holding on to the heavy duty chain hanging from his boat. "But it'll feed a dozen families for a few days, Ha Ha!" he said before going back to sharpening a big handmade harpoon with his knife. "But back to your inquiry, I'm afraid I'm not the right man for you. I'm already commissioned by another group who came here this morning; 'wanted to get some of those fish for an upcoming celebration in their village. Funny man leading them I'll tell ya. I suggest you try old Akito a few docks down. He might be able to help you get there safely."

"Thank you sir," Gaara said.

The man watched them walk away in the direction he pointed. He heard a door slamming from the boat and a muscular tall, dark man with two blue waved lines on his cheek came out; a headband featuring the lightning village proudly sat on his forehead, wrapped around his blond, almost white hair, gelled neatly towards the back of his head, down his neck..

He bent over the ramps, looking down at the man.

"Yo man! Are we getting on with it,  
or are we staying on it?!" he rapped.  
"I'd like to get the dead prize soon  
so my bro will be over the moon!  
The celebration of his coming to this world  
won't do with a simple plated bird!  
I want to get him the biggest fish,  
you know that's my wish!"

"Yes, yes, we're ready to move in five, Killer B."

"That's _Lord_ killer B for you! Fool, you fool! Oh!" he said looking towards the group who left.

He spotted the familiar cloak a Kage would wear, but it was dancing in the wind, almost impossible to discern within the swirling snow.

"What's up?" asked the man.

"I thought I saw a face I knew.  
No matter… NOW ON WITH YOU CREW!" he turned around and went back inside, leaving the man shaking his head and smiling.

"Funny guy, that one."

…

"This ship can be ready in an hour, and It's 3,000 ryō," the old man, Akito, said to Gaara.

The shinobis jumped in surprised.

"3,000?!" Naruto said. "Are you insane? We don't even make that much in a month and we're shinobis!" he exclaimed, which wasn't entirely true. But still …

"It's a dangerous passage,"

"The only dangerous thing is having you on board, man! You're so old you're falling apart!"

"Naruto!" Sai said, disapprovingly.

"What? it's true! Look at him! He shouldn't even be able to stand on a boat! He can't even stand on solid ground without losing his balance!"

The old man, visibly vexed by the rude comment, straightened himself as tall as he could and stomped his shaking feet on the ground.

"I lived my entire life on a ship, boy! Waters are my domain!" he said, slightly hunched forward, trying hard not to stumble too much.

"Naruto! Be polite!" Sai said. "If Sakura was here, you would have been knocked to the ground by now!"

"Why is it dangerous?" asked Gaara calmly. "We did this trip on these waters before without any issues."

Abigail looked at Gaara, surprised. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to make a trip in this climate more than once.

"We had a few ships disappear the last few weeks," explained Akito. "All fishing boats. One of them, a smaller one, came back floating on its own; it was wrecked. Something's out there. Nobody ever saw it but it seems to be roaming somewhere north of the bay of lightning. Nobody wants to go there.

"But you do?" Shikamaru asked, curious.

The old man grinned. "I'm already old, if there's a chance I come out alive, at least I'll get somethin' out of it!"

"Dude, we don't have that kind of money!" Naruto glanced towards Abigail. A curious look in his eyes asking if all this was really worth it. Abigail looked down. She was starting to doubt. Was it? They got through a lot of stuff to get to this point; now there was something out there eating boats? The idea seemed ludicrous.

"We came all this way and barely survived a storm. We have to go forward." Gaara said. "You'll have the money once we are back."

The man observed Gaara for a few seconds, testing his grounds, measuring his strength from top to bottom; He didn't look like someone to take lightly.

"Give me half now,"

"Dude! It doesn't matter if you have half now if you're gonna die out there!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Shikamaru barked.

"A third now, the rest upon docking back here." said Gaara.

The man grumbled but nodded and shook his hand.

Gaara handed him the money and spied Abigail, going toward a little booth nearby. Some things were sparkling in the sun. He smirked. What was it with women and shiny things?

She approached the stand. The man's hand, covered with thick leather gloves brushed the snow off the wooden shelves, displaying delicate glass ornaments; each embedded with various objects: Flowers, crystals, insects, etc. Some others had paintings inside the glass orbs. Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and more; Each representing the various countries of this world. One of them, in particular, had sand dispersed throughout like a sand storm, forever trapped in time, within the orb.

The man took the orb from her hand and turned it above a candle flame. The sand seemed to glitter in the light.

"It is like the gold sand that the Kazekage manipulates!" he said with a heavy accent, reminding her of russian; she noticed the pride in his voice. She smiled at the man and her eyes glanced back at the orb; She had been, indeed, reminded of Gaara as soon as she saw it.

"You like it?" Gaara asked her from behind. She jumped in surprise, not expecting him to be there.

"Oh! Ah, yes, It's pretty," she admitted.

The man bowed when he recognized Gaara. "Oh! It's such a great honor sir!"

Abigail smiled and put the orb down.

"You guys have spent enough money on this trip already. Moreover, Kakashi created this group because of the dream I had that would potentially lead me to my _animal sidekick_," she said, mimicking brackets with her fingers, "which makes me the "client" for this mission, and I've got literally no money. Which means that none of you will have anything for payment. I can't possibly ask you to pay for this.

"I wasn't going to. I was just asking if you liked it." Gaara said softly with a smirk. Abigail blushed.

"... Well … Now you know what I would've said if you would've offered! Same outcome," she said before she quickly left towards the boat, embarrassed.

Gaara smiled and turned towards the man.

* * *

The old man wobbled to the ladder that led on the ship, grabbed the rope with solid wrinkled hands and lifted himself up, climbing the ladder which he made look easy. Abigail though, had some issues, as the rope ladder kept moving. It would take some getting used to.

The timing was perfect as the wind dropped suddenly and the snow stopped falling. It was still cold though, and Abigail felt a chill, knowing that they would now travel on cold water. She was followed by Naruto, Sai and Shikamaru, who barely touched the ladder before jumping on the deck, as expected from ninjas. She looked to see where Gaara was, holding the rail of the ship. She removed her hands right away with a shriek. It was icy cold! She breathed in her hands to warm them up, trying to keep balance on the ship as the wave rocked it back and forth. She was surprised to see the man on the ship standing tall. In fact, once Naruto stood on it, he gasped, puzzled, to see the man dignified on his ship, standing tall and as solid on his feet as a tree on the ground. The man looked at him and grinned.

"As I said before, boy; I lived on a ship all my life! Ground might be your domain, but waters are mine! He He!" he laughed before moving to the cockpit.

The ship wasn't really big, but it was enough for all of them on deck. Gaara appeared on it, out of nowhere. He handed her a thin pair of deep grayish blue gloves.

"I thought you might need these," he said, putting the gloves on her.

"Thanks, they're beautiful; and oddly warm for the thickness of it."

His fingers lingered on her hands and he pulled her towards him and pulled her hoodie back on her head. He kept her close, pulling her arms farther inside his own cloak that covered his body, struggling to let her go. She squeezed his arms in an attempt to hug him subtly. The man got back out of his cabin and noticed them.

"Ah youth! He laughed, walking towards the center of the deck.

Gaara smiled before looking at her. "You know—" he started with a whisper, but was interrupted by the man.

"LISTEN UP Y'ALL! I have no doubt that you men rule the land where you are from, but the waters are not your typical terrain! Here, you call me captain Akito! What I command, you do! YOU GOT THAT?"

"Dude! We get it, but he's the kazekage! Don't be so bossy with him!" Naruto whispered.

"You're kazekage is no good to his village if he's dead!"

"We'll follow your lead," Gaara answered humbly.

"Good!" the man said, satisfied. He glanced towards Abigail. "Nice gloves, lad."

"Uhm, thank you sir."

"ALL RIGHT!" he spoke to the two members of his crew, "RAISE THE ANCHORS! We're moving on!"

The two heavily dressed men got to work and the two huge chains on each side of the ship clinked as they rolled upward, lifting the very heavy anchors from the bottom of the water. The motor soon started roaring towards the back of the ship.

"Only two men?" asked Shikamaru, measuring the size of the ship.

"The other four didn't want to come when I told them where we were going."

"Oh …"

The old man scratched his beard and laughed when he saw Shikamaru's expression.

* * *

Naruto struggled to stay steady on his feet. Of all times, they had to make this trip when the sea was this wild! Apparently it was the season. And what was all this talk about these ships disappearing? He made his way to the cabin door, not without difficulty, fighting the waves and wind. One of them made him slide sideways, making him miss the door and bumping into the wall.

"D-Dammit!"

The captain, standing like a rock, laughed out loud, hidden from his sight, somewhere on the boat.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY, OLD CREEP!" he shouted nowhere in particular, as he couldn't see where the captain was.

"I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME CAPTAIN! Idiot!" the voice said, somewhere on the deck.

Naruto grumbled to himself and finally reached the door of the cabin. Got inside and shut it behind him. He let himself fall on one of the couches. Kurama also grumbled inside.

(Naruto, I don't like water, I feel sick.)

"_Nothing I can do about that, old friend. Trust me; I'd rather be on solid ground as well!"_

(I sense something abnormal in these waters as well.)

"_What do you mean?"_

Naruto waited for an answer that never came. Kurama's silence told him that, either the fox demon didn't feel threatened or that he couldn't describe the feeling. Kurama changed the subject.

(Can't you at least ask her to calm the water?)

"_Who? Abigail?"_

* * *

Abigail was sitting on the top bunker, a blanket wrapped around her. She didn't mind the waves as much as the cold, but still felt a little nauseous. She felt more secure in there for now, looking out the tiny porthole.

Gaara entered the room and crossed his arms on her bed and smiled.

"You're feeling OK?"

"Yeah, I just, really, really don't like the cold," she smiled back.

"So, you prefer the desert, like me?" he said, smiling softly.

"Shouldn't you be out there, doing … Kazekage stuff?" she teased.

"Probably,"

"The captain is taking over the leader's role …"

"Let him have is 5 minutes of glory,"

She chuckled and observed his fingers lacing through hers. He opened one of her hands and removed something from his pocket. He placed the object in and closed her fingers around it. She frowned knowing instantly what it was by the shape of it. She opened her hands and saw the glass orb with the golden sand in it.

"I told you not—"

"This is my seal on you. Just a symbol that you now belong to me," he said, nonchalantly.

She looked at him, not sure how to respond to this sudden ownership.

"It was a joke," he said.

"... I knew that!" she exclaimed, before putting it around her neck. Gaara couldn't hide the satisfaction on his face. It was almost made for her. She held the orb in her hand and ran her finger on its smooth surface. "What is it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

"What?"

"You started with "you know," than you were interrupted. What did you want to say?"

"Oh, nah, it wasn't anything important."

"You sure?" she pressed.

There was a moment of awkward silence in the room, only the creaking of the metal structure around them was heard as the ship rocked back and forth. He had to hold on to the railing of the bunker bed to balance himself.

He shrugged his shoulder and a faint pink color showed upon his cheek, embarrassed.

"Nothing, really. I was just gonna say … well … I can't keep from thinking about last night." he managed, at last, looking away.

"... So do I,"

"Aby, can I say … you are mine, right?"

She jumped down from the bed with his help, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I am."

He removed a strand of hair from her face and kissed her forehead and mouth.

The door opened with a bang and Naruto stared at them, pouting.

"ABIGAIL!"

"... Oh! I was, we were just—"

"Dude, the sea is restless! Do something!"

"I'm … what?"

"Use your power to calm the sea!"

She stared at Naruto, blankly.

"Who do you take me for? Jesus?"

"Who's Jesus?!"

"The son of God, he stopped the raging sea by commanding it!"

"The guy had water power too?!

"What? No … well yes, but not just water—"

"I thought there was no magic in your world!"

"There isn't, he wasn't magic, he—"

"Look, I don't care about what other magical people in your world do; you have water power, try to do something about it. Sorry man, I'll borrow her for a few minutes." Naruto said as he took her hand and dragged her away on the rocking ship.

Gaara could do nothing but observe as she disappeared out of his sight.

* * *

Abigail ran after Naruto on the rocking ship with great difficulty. He burst the door open and they were greeted with a wall of cold wind and water. She was surprised to notice the water was warmer than she would have expected. The air seemed icy, compared to the raging water.

"Go on! Tell the water to stop raging!"

"Naruto! The water is not the one raging! It's the wind, the weather, etc! I can't stop the water from—"

A strange howling stopped her in her tracks. They both looked around, holding on the railings of the ship as they rocked back and forth.

"What the hell was that?" asked Naruto. He could feel Kurama stir inside.

(Naruto! It's here!)

"_What is?"_

(I don't know, I don't recognize it, but it's big! You better let me out!)

"_And put you where?! No! You stay in for now!"_

Abigail stared at Naruto, wondering why he looked so distant. The howling was heard again, high pitched this time, followed by a growl. She couldn't place the sound. It sounded almost like a whale; a hissing whale? Did whales growl?

Shikamaru and Gaara came outside as well, followed by Sai.

"What was that?!" he asked.

"We don't know!" Naruto answered.

Another howl, seemingly coming from below this time, was heard. Abigail held on to the railing and looked down, overboard. The shinobis joined her at the same time. They were sure this one was coming from below.

"What the heck!" Sai said. Shikamaru hushed him with his hands. He waited a few seconds before running to the other side of the ship. Abigail and the others followed, intrigued.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru spotted the captain inside the cockpit, towards the front, frantically trying to hold on to the steering wheel. He pointed to the horizon. All Shikamaru could see was fog and water splashing against the ship. Lightning created a light show in the distance, but couldn't see anything.

He listened through the storm and heard it again.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

Gaara nodded. "There's people out there," he said.

"People?!" Abigail listened and heard faint shouts in the distance. Whatever the captain was pointing at, he stirred the ship in the direction of the shouting.

There was a loud bang against metal and the shouts became more aggressive.

Shikamaru gasped.

"Look there! There's something big moving in the sky!"

They all looked but didn't see anything but fog and a raging sea. However, whenever lightning hit, the light revealed a moving shadow, going in circles and suddenly diving; before hearing another loud bang. Whatever was in the distance, it was big and attacking whoever was there.

"Is there another ship out there?" asked Abigail, worried.

"Remember that man on the dock earlier? He said he was leaving for fishing …" remembered Gaara.

"Abigail, I want you to try to disperse the fog ahead," Gaara said.

Aby looked at him, perplexed, but closed her eyes and imagine the fog clearing up. When she opened her eyes, the fog and storm was still there.

She tried harder; trying to single out the fog from other distractions, but instead, she felt annoyed by the steady rain falling on her face. She opened her eyes again, realizing that it was, indeed, raining! As she anticipated, when it rained, fog usually subsided; and it did. The path on the raging sea cleared up and unveiled a ship in similar size than their own. The dark clouds above moved around a creature hidden inside. Abigail could have sworn seeing something dark slithering, piercing in some places before disappearing again within the clouds.

As their ship got closer, the folks on the other ships waved at them, with distressed faces. One of them, to Abigail amazement, seemed to enjoy the fight against the strange invisible creatures, as he made some odd dance moves. His arm suddenly stretched out and rolled its extremity, like a tentacle. Abigail gasped at the sudden realization, but it was Naruto who cried out first.

"Hey! Isn't that …?"

"What's he doing here?" shouted Sai.

Abigail, despite the turmoil, couldn't help but smile.

"Killer B?! That's Killer B?!"

The man got thrown down by a wave and was raised to the sky by a violent and powerful pull. He disappeared in the clouds, amidst the lightning. A few growls and howling were heard, along with shadows dancing in the lightning between the clouds.

A few seconds later, they heard a cry getting louder and louder, as if it was approaching them at full speed. They looked up, right above their head as the cry ended sharply. The man suddenly reappeared from the clouds and landed conveniently on their ship.

Abigail cried in surprise and so did Naruto and Shikamaru.

Gaara hurried to Killer B's side and helped him up. The man, disoriented, realized he wasn't on the ship he came in after looking around. He raised his goggles for a few seconds to confirm the sight of the man in front of him.

"Woah! Naruto, my man!"

Killer B's tentacled arm shortened, wriggling back to its usual human form.

"Killer B! Are you alright, man?"

"Naruto, bro! I think I'm losing my mojo!"

"It's Killer B!"

"Aby! Now's not the time to—" started Gaara.

Screams came from the other ship as they approached them. Now that the fog was completely gone, they could clearly see around them. The creature came down from its clouds, slithering and twisting in the sky with surprising speed. It snapped its tail near the ship as it growled; snapped its teeth in the air, close to the back of the ship and flew back up as quick as it came down; all in the space of a few seconds.

Abigail could not believe what she had just seen. A massive serpentine creature half a size bigger than the ship, a massive head with horns and an elongated snout with whiskers. She didn't notice any legs or ears or even wings, as it had been so quick.

"Was that ... a dragon?" she whispered to no one in particular.

* * *

The sky cleared at last in the horizon, revealing a full and bright moon. The wind stopped howling and came down to a breeze and the snow was now but a drizzle outside of the INN. The crackling of the fire in the chimney was calming. Though not conscious of any of it, Sasuke was now asleep, his sword by his side on the bed, as he was used to. The faint tic toc of the clock on the wall was the only source of noise, besides the crackling of the fire. All of it, and the warmth of the fire, had put him in a soothing slumber he had needed.

Sakura stirred at the ringing of the clock in the second hour of the mourning. She opened her eyes slightly and closed them back with a frown. She couldn't see anything but a blur of orange glow and white orb around her. She meant to lift her arm to raise her hand to her forehead, but her muscles wouldn't respond. She felt pain everywhere. She had a migraine and could barely move her fingers. In a moment of panic and confusion, she let tears run down her face, the only thing she could do. Where the hell was she? What was going on? She couldn't remember a thing. She forced her eyes open and tried to get used to the dim light, which she felt was even too bright for her. Her migraine worsened every time she tried to focus on things like sound, sight and smell. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Without knowing how or why, she knew she had to calm down and breathe. Her eyes closed, she started to focus on her toes, feet. Something was heavy on them; a blanket; that must have been a blanket. She focused up her legs, to her abdomen, her chest. She felt nothing there but the blanket. Her hands were under it as well, as she could feel the fabric above her fingers. She slightly twitched her arm muscles; something was stuck on them; something sticky, and piercing. Too small to be a knife...an IV? Yes, that must have been it. It was placed at the right spot too. Wait … how did she know that?

She tried to open her eyes again, and turn her head. She felt pain instantly, as if her muscles had been destroyed and ripped apart. What the hell?! She glanced at a big dark spot on her right. Something told her it was a person lying down. Her head was ready to explode; she let go of all focus and went back to sleep.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The two ships were now very close to one another. The sky cleared up rather quickly, and the creature was no longer hidden. It moved about in an "8" shape, circling around, diving down once in a while, hitting the back and front of their ship with its tail and climbing back up.

Abigail, albeit the violence of the creature, couldn't help but admire it. It was magnificent! She could see now that the creature did not seem to have any legs. It had strange wings that would unfold at different places on its body, resembling large circular fins. It had a gray, silver color mixed with metallic blue at its head. It had a mane like a horse, of a lighter shade than its body.

The creature braced itself when it realized that the crew were loading a very large harpoon. It snarled and dodged the weapon once it was launched. Again, it growled angrily and hit the back of the ship with its tail; this time, knocking a few pieces of the weapon carrier down.

"The beast came out of nowhere!" started Killer B. "Attacking us without a care!"

"Why?" asked Abigail.

"No idea! Didn't think of asking, you see?"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru started. Naruto didn't let him finish. He let Kurama's power infuse his chakra and the fiery yellow glow overtook his body. The dragon turned its head in his direction and snarled, showing very impressive teeth.

"Naruto! Wait!"

Abigail put her hand on his shoulder before he could take off to the creature. Something was off. The dragon was scary, no doubt, but why wasn't it attacking the people on the ship?

"It's not attacking the people, just the ship!" she said.

"Aby, if the ship sinks, the people sink with it! We need to do something!" Naruto said.

"But why is it attacking the ship?!" she asked Killer B who stroked his beard.

"Don't know! We were fishing, then that monster came snapping!"

She observed the ship; nothing seemed to be threatening about it, except for the people defending it. But why did it attack?

The ship rocked violently, back and forth against the waves. She thought if the dragon did not kill its passengers, they would get knocked out of the ship. Still, something was off … and she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Something is off!"

"You think?" Naruto replied sharply. "We don't have time for investigations!" He flew up to meet the beast. He was the only one that could do that, as Shikamaru couldn't use his shadow possession jutsu, since the moon was not a solid source of light at the moment; and Sai couldn't use ink in the rain.

(Naruto, I don't feel any chakra in it!)

"_I know! It's weird!)_

(Be careful! It is unpredictable!)

The warning was too late, the dragon had rolled its body around Naruto who transformed into a heavy ship debris that had been floating not too far away; probably a debris from the weapon carrier. Naruto reappeared where the debris had been, in the water.

"Woooooaaaaaahhhh cold!"

A huge tentacle grabbed him and brought him back on the ship. He thanked Killer B and prepared a ball of energy in his hands.

"RASENGAN-SHURIKEN!"

The dragon dodged the rasengan with a swift move, slithering away and back to the main ship.

Abigail was puzzled. As the shinobis tried to stop the dragon, she observed. The dragon really had something against the other ship. It didn't seem interesting that much in hurting any humans. She looked at the ship, pulling on one side very close to the water than pulling back like a slingshot.

She realized then that the other ship had it worse than they had, which was odd as well. It's like something was pulling from below.

The lightning bulb went on in her head and she gasped. Without even hesitating, she ran to the edge of the ship and jumped out.

"ABYYY!" Gaara yelled, horrified. He followed her to the edge, ready to jump after her, but a loud voice rang out of the cabin.

"STAY ON BOARD! THE WATERS ARE TOO DANGEROUS!"

"But Abigail fell over!" Naruto said to the captain, still in the cabin, trying to stir the ship,

"She didn't fall, she jumped on purpose," Shikamaru replied, puzzled.

"SO STUPID!" shouted Gaara, angrily. "ABYYYY!"

* * *

Abigail swam as best as she could towards the other ship. The water was cold and turbulent, but still, it was like a pull she couldn't resist. There was something she had to do, something important was calling to her. She went to the surface to breathe, she could hear her friends calling out to her, but she dove back in, in search of the source of the commotion. She couldn't see anything but the bottom of the ship. However, something seemed to be between her and the ship. It was moving but very well camouflaged. If it wasn't for the outline of the ship being disrupted at times, she would have never seen it. She also saw, while getting closer, a fish line caught in something that was invisible. However, an array of lights moving from the end of the creature to its head, very much like a cuttlefish revealed what she had so strongly suspected.

The young dragon snapped angrily at her once she was closed. She swam back up for air, trying hard to remain afloat in the raging sea by holding on to the net that was partly at the surface. If she didn't, she would be knocked against the ship towering above her. She struggled to keep her head above the water, and she was in danger of being hit by the ship that was dangerously close to her. She took a deep breath and yelled as loud as she could towards her friends.

"I NEED A KNIFE!"

Gaara hit the railing with his hand. "YOU NEED TO GET BACK IN HERE, YOU IDIOT!"

"Abigail! Killer B will get you back on! Hang on!" Naruto said.

"NO!"

"WHAT?"

Killer B tilted his head with confusion. The girl wanted to stay in there?!

"ABY YOU'RE BEING STUPID! THIS IS DANGEROUS! Lord B, get her back in here!"

"NO! I … I N-NEED …"

They watched her struggle a few seconds. Gaara observed and held his breath in fear.

"I NEED A-A KNIIIFFEEEE! THROW ME A KNIFE!" she said at last.

(Naruto, I think I know what is going on. There is another creature below. I think it is trapped. It could be the creature's youngster. I think she is trying to help it.)

"_Is it threatening? Can she get hurt?"_

(You mean beside drowning? I don't know, I can't read the creature.)

Naruto took a few seconds and retrieved a kunai from his pouch. Gaara watched him throw it in the water, right beside Abigail.

"What are you doing?!"

"Gaara, Kurama thinks that this dragon's baby is trapped under the ship. That's probably why the dragon is upset … it's trying to get to its baby or something.

Abigail saw the small kunai sink in the water near her. She dove down to get it. She was getting cold and thought she didn't have much time to free the creature before the cold would take over her body. She swam to the kunai and made her way back up to take another breath before diving back down.

The young dragon's light show started again, as a warning. She could see her own body reflected in its scales, which she thought was amazing. He snapped again as she approached, and growled at the sight of the sharp kunai. She couldn't just cut the net to free the dragon; it was wrapped around its neck and horns and tangled with its mane.

A normal person would have thought "_the heck with that, I'm not getting near those teeth"_, but the pull was stronger than ever. She swam towards the creature's head. It's head was not as big as the creature's in the sky, but it was still massive. She saw the dragon's mouth open and snarl, showing big sharp teeth. She looked into its eyes and put her hands on its snout. The dragon closed its mouth and observed her with curiosity. She grabbed a part of the net and ran the kunai back and forth on it until it cut loose. She was thankful that the kunai was sharp enough to do so quickly. The dragon startled her when a loud howling resonated from its head.

A pattern of high, low, high, low vibration made its way to the surface. Instantly, to the surprise of both ship's passengers, the dragon in the sky abandoned its threatening demeanor and flew higher in the sky, circling around the ships, seemingly waiting.

The young dragon stood still in the water, watching her every move, where it could. She disappeared behind it and it growled, both in anticipation and anxiety. It seemed to appreciate her gentle pat on its head when she kept on working at the net. She swam back up to take a few breaths and noticed her movements were slower. She reached the top and breathed loudly. The water seemed calmer. She threaded the waters as fast as she could with her feet to force them reawaken. She flexed her numb fingers a few times and dove back down to the young dragon.

It's colors changed to a white body and turquoise hair and parts of its face. Its head was now freely turning to see her slowly swimming back to it. It tilted its head and blinked; probably feeling sorry for this poor, slow and fragile creature that she was. She had a hard time manipulating the kunai. She dropped it at time. She flexed her fingers more and needed to go to the surface more often, watched by her worried friends.

She finally cut the dragon loose from the ship and it swam away in eagerness; dragging her away as she was still cutting the net out of its neck. A surge of panic took over her as he swam deeper in the water. She cut the net loose at last, and it got tangled in the chain of the cross she was wearing, which was tangled in turn to the necklace Gaara got for her. She let go of the dragon and the net to swim upward and had to cut both necklace loose to free herself from the net. She slowly swam up … too slowly. Her lungs begged for air and her movement didn't seem to bring her anywhere. Her vision blurred and she felt something big push her. Her body folded around the huge snout of the dragon who pushed up towards the surface.

She coughed water out as she reached it. Her vision blacked out as she breathed. She almost lost consciousness, but the creature kept her afloat as Killer B wrapped a tentacle around her and lifted her up, back on the ship.

She kept on coughing, as she saw the huge dragon diving in the water; folding her wings perfectly on its body, as if they were never there.

Shikamaru and Gaara bend over her as she laid back, flat on the ship. She took in each life giving breath with gratitude, not daring to move. Her arms spread on the lightly rocking ship, she looked to her left and saw the two dragons in and out of the waters, each unfolding fin like wings, twisting around each other and diving back down under the sea.

She suddenly felt tired, warmth embraced her body and she closed her eyes, only to be slapped in the face by Gaara.

"Hey! Don't you dare! Stay with me!"

She couldn't understand why everybody around her was shouting. She made it back, she was safe! She was so tired, she just wanted to go to sleep! Couldn't they see what she went through? Her eyes were so heavy; why didn't they just let her close …

"Shit! Remove her clothes! Hurry!" shouted Shikamaru.

"GET HER INSIDE!" the captain's voice rang from inside the cockpit.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid …" mumbled Gaara as he carried her inside the ship.

"Yo, I found some blankets inside, bro!" said Killer B who found himself at home.

Gaara ripped her clothes off except for her undergarments and wrapped her in the blankets. He shook her violently to make sure she wouldn't go to sleep.

"Aby! If you close your eyes, you're not going to open them again! Stay awake! STAY AWAKE!" he yelled with another slap in her face.

* * *

Her purple lips eventually returned to a pinkish color. She was trembling uncontrollably from head to toe, with 5 blankets layered around her and over her head. She stared blankly at the tiny electric heater sitting on the table in front of her.

The captain took a piece of dried fish and threw it in his mouth, while staring at her. She also sensed everybody's gaze on her.

Killer B also observed her with curiosity. He sat on a chair, balancing himself on the two back feet. Naruto had brought him up to date with "most" of Abigail's deal, leaving out the gatekeeper and the two worlds part, as Kakashi and Akio had suggested. After some time he brought back his chair down and leaned towards her.

"You're kind of a cool chick," he almost whispered, not to break the peaceful silence of the sea. "But you're not very quick!" the ship creaked as it slowly rocked. "Those waters are not to be messed with, let alone those beasts! Easy enough, you could've been their feast! Fool, you fool!"

Abigail smiled at the rhyme. She liked that silly rapping shinobi. Gaara, however, was not amused.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Don't you get it? You could've been killed! Not just from drowning, but you could have been lunch to those creatures!"

"I had to do it."

"No you didn't. You could have asked for help!"

"No one jumped after me," she retorted.

"With good reasons! You can't just jump out in freezing cold water!"

"It wasn't freezing …"

"You almost died of hypothermia!" he laughed in dismay.

"Or lunch," added Killer B.

"Do you mind?!" Gaara snapped angrily.

Killer B made an unimpressed face by the sudden burst of anger directed at him, but sat back and remained quiet.

"We didn't come all this way to see you drown because of a stupid impulse," he continued.

Abigail turned to him at last. "It wasn't a stupid impulse. I followed my instincts, as it turns out, they were right!"

"What if they had been wrong?"

Abigail didn't have an answer. "I don't know. I just had to do it."

"So if next time your instinct tells you to kill yourself, you gonna do it?!"

"You're exaggerating," she said.

"Barely!"

"Aby," Naruto tried. "Gaara is right, it wasn't smart to just throw yourself out without even telling us what was going on. We could have plan something better, somehow. Hey, we got the best brain here with us!" he laughed, pointing at Shikamaru. "He could have come up with a solution! Just … don't do anything without talking to us first, y'know?"

Abigail thought for a moment and felt embarrassed. She might have jumped the guns rather quickly. But that pull … it was very powerful. She didn't have to think twice. She had to jump and help this dragon out. She nodded, nevertheless.

"I'm sorry," she said. She brought her hand to her neck, something she was used to do when she needed comfort, then remembered …

"What's wrong?" asked Sai.

She glanced towards Gaara, who was still upset, and hesitated before announcing with a broken voice.

"I … I lost them."

"Lost what?" Gaara said, annoyed.

"... my cross … and the necklace you gave me. They got tangled in the net when I cut it out and it was dragging me towards the bottom, so I had to cut them."

Gaara chuckled, stood and walked out on the deck. She watched him go and felt her heart break.

* * *

Naruto joined Gaara on the deck. He was leaning on the railing and looked towards the snowy mountains.

"Hey man, you're OK?"

"... I don't know …"

Naruto glanced at his gloomy friend, not sure what to say, then laughed out loud.

"Come on man! Pull yourself together! She's alive and well!"

"She always puts herself into trouble,"

"So do we!"

"There's always something! When it's not mistrust or misunderstanding, she does something like that and almost dies! There is not one day when it's not going wrong!"

"Well, these are not normal circumstances either, y'know?"

"She lost it,"

"What?"

"The necklace I gave her,"

Naruto frowned. "Are you serious? You're gonna get sour over something so small? She had to cut it out to save her life! What's more important to you, her or the necklace?!" he asked angrily.

"IDIOT! OF COURSE SHE'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE STUPID NECKLACE! But it was a symbol. I literally just gave it to her. It was like … she's mine, you know?"

Naruto looked at him unimpressed. "What, you own her now?"

"No! It's a symbol! Like we belong to each other … uhhh this is so stupid." Gaara said, scratching his head with his hands.

"Yes, it is," Naruto said. "It's just a necklace, man; A very cool and thoughtful gesture, but in the end, just a necklace. Don't start putting some kind of … fortune telling shit! She lost it, it doesn't mean that it's not meant to be."

Gaara looked at Naruto and felt ashamed. He was right. He shook himself up and went back inside.

The captain made an announcement right then.

"We have to stop at Fang Country. The debris from the other ship must have hit the oil tank, because the oil is decreasing faster than normal. I don't think it is too bad, but better be on the safe side. Besides, that's where the other ship is going as well.

Killer B fell down on his knees, putting on a drama show.

"What Am I s'pose to give my bro now! I ain't got no fish worthy of his crown!"

"Yyeaahhhh … Hey Octopus, I'm sure you can find something more fitting than a big fish for your bro!" said Naruto, scratching the back of his head.

"What do you mean? Fish is legit royal cuisine!"

Naruto and Killer B argued over the best gift for the Raikage while Gaara approached the door to Abigail's room. He meant to knock, but changed his mind, feeling rather ashamed. He was still upset about her unusual impulses, but his reaction to the loss of her necklace was uncalled for. He actually felt like a jerk. She was probably fuming inside. He changed course and went to sit with the other shinobis, instead.

* * *

Abigail laid down, naked on the bed, wrapped in a single blanket. She watched over the little window, watching the snowy mountains disappear as they were changing course, going south west. The land of Iron. This is not where they were supposed to go. She felt it was partly her fault. This trip was wrong. The whole thing was a mess.

She kept on looking for her soothing cross, kept on forgetting she didn't have it anymore. She missed the other necklace too. She loved the other necklace. It was more special to her than the cross; she was hoping that God would not hold her guilty for it. She wanted to tell Gaara, but thought it sounded like a poor excuse that anyone could make. Of course a girl would never tell a guy "I didn't really like it anyway". She looked at the window again and saw a grayish land, covered in fog.

"_Yay … more fog …"_ she thought to herself and sighed. "_Off with the animal sidekick, on with the creeping land covered in fog where ghosts will be lurking!"_

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes again, in a much brighter setting than last time. She closed her eyes and groaned. People gasped around her.

"Sakura! Are you alright?"

The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Light ... too much light …" she said with her eyes tightly shut.

She heard the man beside her walk to the window and close the curtain.

"Better?"

She growled as someone squeezed her arm to remove the IV.

"She won't need it anymore, but will take some time to adjust. Here!"

The lady who spoke suddenly covered her eyes with dark shades, which startled Sakura. She was able to open her eyes without feeling the pain from the light.

"These sunglasses will help you for now. You should get used to the light soon. You also need to eat and drink on your own now. Moving will take some time, but you'll get there!"

"Uhm, OK," she said with a strained voice. Her whole body was heavy.

"What happened to me? Where am I?"

"You're lucky to be alive," Sasuke answered. "You're in an INN on the border of the land of snow and rice. We were on a mission helping Abigail to find her animal sidekick and you had been missing for about a month. You were being controlled by someone who implanted some dark chakra in your brain. You have strained your body beyond human capabilities, without food or even water. Do you remember anything?"

The man who spoke beside her looked familiar. He was quite handsome, but what he said didn't make sense to her at all. She tried remembering something, but nothing came. Even her name … She couldn't remember her name! He called her Sakura earlier.

Sasuke watched her stare blankly at him, seemingly confused. He sat down beside her.

"Sakura? Do you remember anything?"

She shook her head slowly.

"... do you remember who I am?"

She shook her head again. She was getting cold sweat in the back of her neck.

"Sakura … do you know who you are?"

She looked away after a few seconds and started to cry. The other lady beside her frowned. She didn't expect her to have amnesia.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"_I knew it! There are ghosts here!"_ Abigail thought to herself.

The moon shone through the clouds, bringing a strange blue hue to the fog that rolled its way through the tombstones. Everywhere they looked, the trees were bare; as if the graveyard's ground had sucked all life of its surrounding.

Abigail shivered at the hoot of an owl. She liked howls! They had big round eyes and beautiful feathers all around; Why did they sound so creepy all of a sudden?

"Are you OK?" Sai asked her, seeing that she seemed tense.

"I'm fine." she answered, trembling.

"Then eat something," Gaara commanded, holding a long piece of fish towards her.

She looked at him, not sure if he was still angry. She was a little annoyed by the way he was suddenly treating her like a child, forcing her to eat, like a mom scolding her kid.

She wasn't hungry, but she tightened the cloak around her, with her knees folded to her chest, moved forward and slowly took the tip of the fish with her teeth and forced herself to swallow.

_There! I'm being obedient like a good girl, so get a hold of yourself and chill a little._

"Aw man! I'd give anything to eat ramen!" Naruto said, breaking the silence.

He almost choked on his fish when a loud shriek echoed in the forest, followed by another. Abigail jumped as well, closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts," she repeated to herself out loud.

"They're just foxes," Shikamaru said with a grin. "I like to call them the 'demons of the night'."

"Jeez! Kurama is a fox AND a demon, and he doesn't sound like that at all!"

Naruto felt the demon fox stir inside and heard him laugh in his mind.

"I didn't know foxes made that sound," Abigail said, pensive. "Their voice don't match their cuteness."

"They might be fighting," said Shikamaru.

"Yeah! They're fighting over us! Like, who's gonna have the first bite, y'know?" laughed Naruto.

"Not if we eat them first!" Sai answered, trying to be funny.

A wolf howled not too far away, followed by a few more.

"Oh Oh! They found us!" laughed Naruto.

Gaara knew that they were all trying to cheer Abigail. He quickly glanced at her, she looked concerned and annoyed at the same time.

"Why can't there be any bunnies or lumiflies instead!"

Abigail turned pink at the thought of lumiflies. Gaara and she made eye contact, remembering their first kiss. Gaara looked away but she could have sworn that he smiled.

"They got eaten by the foxes," Naruto said.

"Am I the only one who feels we are being watched?" Abigail asked.

The shinobis looked at one another. They didn't feel anything.

"It's all in your head," Gaara said.

"Yeah, don't worry, Abigail. Wolves don't usually attack people, and Foxes sound scarier than they really are. If anything, they are scared of us."

There was a moment of silence, except for the crackling of the campfire.

"It's the ghosts you have to worry about," announced Naruto.

"SHUT UP NARUTO!" they all said at once, which made him laugh even more.

(Naruto, the lad is right, something is watching us,)

Naruto stopped laughing and looked distant.

"_Are you sure? Where?"_

(If I knew that, I would have told you! I don't know; Just a feeling. The same feeling as when we were at sea.)

"_The dragon? The dragon is here, watching us?!"_

(Not necessarily … I can't sense any creature here, but it's here, somehow. It's hard to explain.)

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto jumped at Abigail's question. He realized others were also looking at him.

"Kurama says he feels watched too. But he can't sense anything nearby. He said it's the same feeling as with the dragons."

"What's up with the dragons anyway? Were there ever dragons in this world?" questioned Abigail. "Because there was never any mention of it in your … adventures."

She thought "adventures" sounded more appropriate than "stories".

"Only in legends," Sai said, "but I never thought that they existed in real life!"

"Me neither," Shikamaru added.

"You didn't seem to be surprised much by them earlier," Abigail realized.

"Nothing surprises us anymore," Gaara said, nonchalantly. "Are there any dragons in your world?"

"No, just in fairy tail stories. Depending on which corner of the world, every culture has some type of legend about dragons. Western dragons are evil and a source of destruction. They got a tail and 4 paws and wings. Asian dragons are usually good and wise, the body of a snake and whiskers. These, earlier, looked like Asian dragons; It's not surprising since your world was created in Japan."

Gaara sighed in annoyance.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I think it's the way you put it," Sai said. "Our world versus yours."

Abigail was getting annoyed as well. She was tired of having to always talk about this subject like walking on eggshells.

"He brought it up himself!"

"You don't have to keep talking about it as if we're not real!" Gaara finally said, putting another fish on a stick and sticking it over the fire.

"I'm not! But, how else do you want me to put it?! That's just how it is, OK? You were created by a man in my world, it doesn't mean you are not real in this world right now!"

"Only right now?" he said, aggravated.

"... No, of course! Look, I don't know how to phrase, OK? For Christ's sake! I was created by God! I'm not going in the world under the assumption that I'm not real!"

"But somehow there is a difference between being created by a God and a man, no?"

"Well, yes, but …"

"So you admit it!"

"No … well yes but … you're the one saying that!"

Abigail was confused and angry. What was his deal? Gaara chuckled, got up and stormed towards the seashore without a word.

"Gaara! Wait!"

Naruto held onto her sleeve as she started to rise.

"Give him a minute."

"Guys," she started, "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel … whatever … I never meant to, OK?"

"He's visibly upset, but I don't think it's just about the created world. I think there might be something else," Naruto said. "He'll talk to you when he's ready."

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked him.

"Not sure … but I can imagine a few reasons. It's not your fault Aby."

She stayed seated until everyone was ready to enter their tent, anxious and her blanket wrapped around her. She glanced towards the seashore and saw him walking back to the camp. He stopped when he saw her looking at him. He turned back towards the sea, his hands on his waist, and Abigail felt a chill. She rose and ran to meet him.

"Gaara?"

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed now," he interrupted her, "I suggest you do the same. Hopefully we'll find what you've been looking for all this time. Who knows ... might be one of the wolves, or a fox; since the fox seems to be the mascot of "our show".

"Gaara! Come on …"

He whirled around to face her and pointed a menacing finger at her … holding himself not to show how messed up he felt inside. He could see the fear in her eyes and that pissed him off even more.

"... That thing that happened between us … I NEVER thought for a second that it was fake; you however, keep reminding me that I was created on paper! You might as well say you had sex with an imaginary guy!"

"Th … That's not true!" she yelled in his back as he walked away in a hurry.

She sniffed back and turned towards the sea, her hands in her hair. She walked towards the water and took deep breaths. She thought it would be easy now. She thought that, after last night, it would be all clear. She was wrong.

She picked up a random rock on the ground and threw it as far as she could with a loud cry. She crouched down, her head between her knees.

_I don't have time for this! We don't have time for anger and doubts! I've got to go home soon!_

She threw another rock in the water and sat on the shore. She couldn't help the thoughts in her head.

_It's not working._

She started to cry, trying to chase the thoughts away.

_It's not working, it never will. You are not from the same world. Even if you could stay, you do not think alike. Your values are different. He would always doubt your feelings for him and you would always worry because of that._

"SHUT UP!" she screamed to herself, before violently throwing three more rocks in the sea. "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!"

She even told him. She told him she was his. She told him willingly; She. Was. His.

_And what about when you go back home? Are you still gonna be his? You're gonna stay alone forever, never get married? It's not working._

"Nooooo" she cried silently. She didn't want to see it. She cried and cursed him under her breath.

_What the hell is wrong with you! What are you mad about?! All this because I mentioned that dragons are legends from my world? And how dare you?!_

"HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS FAKE?" she screamed at the sea.

The sea seemed to answer back for a moment. She starred in the distance. A rock was thrown back from the sea and landed at her feet. She picked it up, puzzled, and observed it. She realized that the water was bubbling. It grew louder and more violent, and started moving towards the shore; towards her!

The animals in the forest became restless. The trees moved in the dark and those crazy foxes started screaming from everywhere around them. Naruto, Shikamaru and Sai came out of their tent. Gaara came out last. They all looked around them, at the forest that became suddenly still. Not even crickets were chanting.

"Abigail?" Naruto shouted, concerned. "Get back here!

Her sight was still on the water. The bubbling had stopped when it was a few meters from the shore; then, something came out slowly. It looked like a big … water rock, or a strange deformed bubble, if that made any sense, with horns and ears.

"ABIGAIL! GET OUT OF THERE!" Gaara ran to her with shurikens in his hands, followed by the others.

She was paralyzed, not by fear, but shock. The rock thinned as it rose; two piercing eyes opened midway to the surface. She could somehow see a faint reflection of the dark forest in the creature's face. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. There was a display of scales changing color, from top to bottom; What looked like a mirror, turned to a metallic white. It shimmered under the moonlight.

The long serpentine body slithered towards the shore, water dripping from its head. It's yellow eyes, blinking at times, never left Abigail.

Gaara reached Abigail first. He grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her behind him. Naruto positioned himself beside him; he felt Kurama stir and growl inside of him. Abigail was too shocked and awestruck to move.

The dragon barely glanced at the two men in front of Abigail; it sneezed and lowered its head with a small growl.

"RASENGAN!"

"SAND SHURIKEN!"

Both attacks were interrupted by a low guttural growl. The ground shook for a few seconds and both Sand Shuriken and Rasengan ended up falling to the ground and disappeared in the dust, inches away from the dragon.

They gasped and threw kunais at the beast. These bounced off the creature's body like mere toys.

"Guys! Wait!"

"Aby! Get be—"

"No!" She ran past them and put her hand up. "Wait! Look how calm it is! I don't think it wants to hurt us, it would have done so already!"

She looked further back at Sai and Shikamaru. They could see the concern in the shinobis eyes. Naruto turned to Gaara, puzzled. He couldn't read the dragon at all. And their jutsu had absolutely no effect on it! He stared back at Abigail at last, lost for words. Gaara was just as powerless.

Shinobis, Abigail knew, were known to anticipate their enemies moves … they were at a loss here and she felt their helplessness.

"I did good last time; let me handle this one."

Gaara gave her a condescending look meant to remind her, she was sure, that she almost died back then.

Regardless, Abigail turned around and looked up at the dragon's head that was now a good 9 feet above her, and met its eyes.

It finally lowered its massive head to her level. Before she even knew what she would do, she noticed something shiny hanging from its mouth. She looked at the chain between the teeth and back up at the eyes of the dragon. It opened its mouth and waited. Abigail, flabbergasted, slowly took it.

The chain with the cross just unrolled from the dragon's mouth. It was tangled with something else. Abigail gasped when she recognized the leather string with the orb attached to it. It was still intact. She was relieved that the golden cross had made its way back to her; but the orb ... she held it tight to her heart.

The dragon tilted its head in puzzlement. The girl was smiling, but crying as well. Humans' emotions were very complex! Was she happy to get her jewels back, but scared of him? Yes, that must have been it. He was much bigger than her; she was probably afraid.

To Abigail's amazement, the creature unfolded two long lizard like legs that were, until now, perfectly hidden in its body. It stretched them before crossing them "matter-of-factly", which gave the dragon the appearance of casually "chilling around". It shook its head, like a dog would do, swishing its whiskers around.

"Thank you," Abigail said

(Thank you for saving my life,) the dragon said in her mind. She jumped in surprise.

"Did you just talk to me?"

(... Was I not supposed to?)

"No, It's just … animals don't usually talk here, unless …" Abigail cautiously studied the creature. "Are you … a demon, like the tailed beast?"

The young dragon blinked and turned its heavy head to look at its own body before looking back at Abigail, curious.

(I don't know … I never really thought about asking my mother what I was … what's a demon?)

"Well, don't worry about it. FYI, you're definitely a dragon."

(Thanks for the clarification! So … you live here?) he pointed to the graveyard with a nod of its head.

"Oh God, no!" she said, horrified. "This place is way too creepy to even consider it! We're just camping."

(What does "Camping" mean?)

"It's when you have to sleep outside."

(Why don't you go somewhere else if it is so scary?)

"We don't have a choice right n—,"

(What are these things?)

The dragon had rose and was already walking towards the grave, ignoring the astonished and confused shinobis who stared at it, avoiding being trampled. It sniffed one of the tombstones loudly, breathing in some of the fog and dust surrounding it, which made it sneeze.

"These are tombstones," she answered loudly to reach the beast's ears. "People who passed away were buried here by their loved ones."

(Passed away?)

"Died"

The dragon looked pensive for a moment and frowned.

(You find this place creepy, but you put your loved ones in here after they died?)

"Oh, no … the graveyard becomes creepy because of the dead …"

The dragon tilted its head in confusion, then walked back towards the shore, thinking further questioning would be futile.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

(Camping,) it said while folding back its paws on its scaled body, slithering back in the water. (See ya later,)

_Camping?! _"So we're gonna see you again?"

(Duh! We're connected!)

"Connected?!"

The dragon looked at her and sighed. (You're the Grand Gatekeeper, are you not?)

She watched the creature with sudden realization.

"Holy shit, my animal sidekick is a dragon …"

(Animal sidekick?! I'm no sidekick! I'm your spirit companion!)

It blinked and disappeared in the sea.

"Wait! I don't even know how to … summon you or something," she whispered. "Or even your name."

The voice, even out of sight, spoke in her head.

(You'll call me whenever you use your staff. The name is Brent.)

"But i still have so many questions!" this time, the beast didn't answer.

When all was quiet at last and the crickets came back, she turned around to face the stunned shinobis she had completely forgotten.

They didn't say a word. The graveyard and its surrounding went back to its previous creepy state. If one would have come to see them, they would never have believed a dragon came by. It's as if it was never there.

The shinobis blinked finally and looked around, before staring back at Abigail, who didn't really know how to break the silence.

"Well," she tried, "mission accomplished, I guess? That went … quite well!"

"Did … did you ... just have a full conversation with a dragon?" asked Naruto.

* * *

"I don't know why y'all so spooked about it," she said, "Naruto has conversations with Kurama all the time! So do you with Shukaku!"

"Kurama and Shukaku are a tailed beasts, not dragons," Gaara said. "And you're the only one who can hear it."

His tent was nice and warm. She glanced around quickly; his camping headquarters was always impressive. She was reminded of Brent, telling her that he was going camping...than smiled. _I told him "camping" was when you had to sleep outside. He must be sleeping outside since he's a dragon, so he thought he was "camping" Although..._

She wondered if he slept at the bottom of the sea. She would have to ask him when she sees him again, which she wished would be soon. She really liked him.

Gaara watched her hold on tight to the orb they thought was lost. She had put it back around her neck as soon as the dragon was gone. He had noticed her holding it at times since then.

She noticed him looking at the necklace.

"It means a lot to me,"

He nodded. "So, you're sure you found it? That was your animal sidekick?"

"Nah," she shook her head and smiled. "Brent said he was my spirit companion; like a guide and aid maybe. I'm not sure exactly, but "sidekick" sounds like I'm his boss or something, which I feel is not the case."

"Brent?"

"That's his name; that's what he told me,"

"What's he sound like?"

"Uhm … calm, curious," she reflected and smiled. "He sounds like a curious kid, but wise at the same time …"

"Hm,"

"He said I could summon him with the staff, which I don't have."

Gaara sighed and lifted his eyes to the sky. "Another thing we have to look for," he said out loud, without thinking.

She looked down at her fingers, picking her nails.

"... It was a long day, I'm gonna go sleep."

He watched her a moment, arms crossed, as always, then lowered his eyes.

"OK, sleep well."

He watched her leave the tent, tempted to stop her and apologize, but his ego got the better of him. Looking for the staff was news to him, but it was not her fault. She needed what she needed. Looking for the staff was not the issue ... It was the fact that every time she did something, she was in mortal danger and he felt that it was beyond his control. He needed to get a hold of himself; something else was bothering him...

He looked in the sand mirror. The person staring back was just a shield; an armor of sand. The inside was a mess of emotions; The more she made progress, the closer she was to …

He didn't want to think about it. In fact, maybe he was overthinking this! Maybe Akio was wrong. Maybe she didn't have to go! What did he know? He may be a Key keeper, but he wasn't the Grand Key keeper! She had the key, or rather, she would have it eventually, she could come and go whenever she wanted!

He washed his face, laid down and closed his eyes.

She said she was his; of course she would stay!


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Sakura sat in the common dining hall, waiting for Sasuke to come back from the front desk.

She held her head low, this uneasy feeling that a hundred eyes were watching her. Sasuke told her there would barely be a soul here; yet, three quarters of the tables were filled with curious lookers.

She heard a few folks talk; it seems the INN's bar became popular since a group of shinobis came in here;

_One of the girls was pretty messed up! And apparently, some Kazekage guy came by; the stable guy couldn't shut up about it. _

"I bet she's the one!" she heard a whisper to her right. She put her head between her hands, her elbows resting on the worn out table.

_Where is this guy?!_

She fixed her attention on the fingers under the table. She picked on the little piece of dead skin around her dirty pink nails; or at least, whatever is left of the pink. She seemed to notice them for the first time; Some were long, others were broken. The sight of them bothered her.

_That's a pretty color though_

But no matter how hard she tried to distract herself, the whispers made her head spin. She felt so tired. What happened to her?! Why did she feel like she fell from a cliff?

She gasped as the thought creeped in her mind: Did she try to commit suicide?! Why?! Was she depressed? Did she do something wrong? That Sasuke guy said that she attacked them … so maybe she was ashamed ...

No. She was mixing things up. He said she had been manipulated and she had been missing for a whole month. Where has she been all this time?

She jumped when two thick mugs slammed on the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Sasuke said.

The truth was, he was as tense as she was. He didn't like to leave her alone for too long. She looked so lost and confused, something that he was not used to seeing from her; and he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her. He slowly pushed the warm drink to her hands.

"So, are things coming back to you?"

"I don't know. Look, I can't do this; not here; all these people are talking about me, all the noise …"

"OK, OK, calm down. To tell you the truth, I didn't expect to see so many people. This place is always empty!"

"Excuse me?"

They both turned their head to look at a big man, holding what looked like sake. He was overly friendly, a consequence of one too many drinks, no doubt. Sakura turned away, disgusted by the man's bare belly that was too big to be contained in his soiled shirt. He had a dirty apron below his waist and the smell of spicy curry fish made her want to vomit.

He casually sat down at their table, despite the fact that he was not invited.

"Is it true that you guys are shinobis from the land of fire?" he whispered.

"Uh … yeah?" Sasuke said.

"Oh! Oh man!" the man turned to his friends a few tables away and gave a thumbs up. "See? That's definitely them!" He brought himself even closer to Sakura who glared at him, up and down. "Hey, I know that mark on your forehead! Everybody knows it here! It's a popular tale here! You must be Lady Hokage's pupil! Only she has the knowledge of gathering all her chakra and storing it in this way!"

Sakura's eyes grew bigger. She touched her forehead and looked at Sasuke.

"I have a mark?"

"Hey!" another guy asked at the table next to them. "The guy with the eyeliner that was here the other day? Old Toby from the stable ... he said that guy was the Kazekage! Is that also true?"

Sakura held her head in her hands and tightened her fingers. Seeing that Sakura was at her limit, Sasuke attempted to put in a few words.

"Yeah, look, I'm sorry, we need some quiet time—"

"This is so awesome! We never get visitors here; NEVER!" the first guy said. "I always told mama, this is such a crappy place! Why do we live here? Like, we're gonna die from boredom, if not from the cold! But I tell ya—"

"Back off!"

Sasuke removed the guy's hand from Sakura's arm by pure reflex. She was startled at Sasuke's sudden move, but was also taken over by anxiety. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be the center of attention. She pressed her hand on her forehead to try to lessen the pain.

Sasuke realized his sudden move might have been a little much. He took a deep breath and released the other guy's hand.

"I'm sorry, she's not … she's had a rather difficult time these past few weeks and she is still recovering. Please, I kindly ask that you leave us alone. For the time being."

"OH! Of course!" the man turned around and Sasuke sighed in relief.

"Can I get an autograph though?"

"What?"

The man was up and next to Sasuke, holding an old piece of paper and a pen. That was a first! No one had asked a shinobi for an autograph before; except for Naruto. He was quite popular with the girls back home, apparently.

"Look! I'll be on my way after, I promise! But I can't stay here and not ask! Nobody at home would believe me! My wife, she's always like, _yeah yeah, you did this and that and you're just lying_, but when she sees THAT, she's gonna flip, I tell ya!"

"Listen, we're not super stars, OK? We don't—"

"Hey! Is the Kazekage coming back to get you?"

"I don't—"

"Oh man! If I could just—"

"HE SAID TO BACK OFF! SHANAROOOOO!"

The whole room went quiet as the dust and debris slowly came back down. Sakura stared at the table with shock. A mug was in pieces, while the other still rolled around with several cracks. The content had spilled all over the broken table and floor.

All she did was slam her hand on it! Yet, it was now broken in two; needless to say, it was no longer usable.

The man looked at Sakura horrified, backed away slowly and returned to his friends table. Sasuke sighed, stood up, walked to the front desk, and seeing that the lady was too shocked to extend her hand and receive the money, he simply put it on the desk and returned to Sakura.

"OK, let's go back upstairs," he said, offering her a hand. She took it and felt a fuzzy feeling in her belly. She followed him, leaning on him all the way up, every single pair of eyes following them.

* * *

"Am I … are we married? Or dating?" she asked when she came back in the room. She had taken a long steaming shower. It made her feel better and relaxed. She still couldn't remember anything, but the quiet and hot water made her feel at peace.

The question took him by surprise and he hesitated to give an answer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." she added, turning around to pick up her cup of tea on the mantelpiece.

"No, it's OK, it's normal; you are trying to figure things out. No, we're not."

"Oh, OK," she said, feeling somewhat unconvinced.

"I thought it'd be better to come upstairs," he said to change the subject. "It's quieter here; you'll be able to think freely. Do you still have a headache?"

She didn't answer. Instead she made her way to the large windowsill that was placed near the stone fireplace and sat down on the cushion; folding her legs beneath her bum, sipping her tea.

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her. Her fair skin was beautifully complemented by the light pink of her wet hair, sitting straight on her small shoulders. Her big green eyes which were once always smiling were now empty. She had lost her identity.

He turned his gaze when she looked his way. Feeling like he was caught doing something weird, he focused on something else. He removed his shirt to wash it; after all, it's been a few days on his back. Oddly, the first thing she noticed was not how fit he looked, but the bandage on his shoulder.

"How did you get that?" she pointed with her chin.

He hesitated, not sure if he should tell her. Then again, the truth might help her remember things.

"You," he simply said.

"Me?" she cried in surprise. "Why?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd remember something so you would tell me!"

"... Are we … close?" she said after a pause.

"... Yes, in a way."

She frowned. She had this feeling that they were closer than he was admitting.

"I feel … I feel that there is a long history between us."

"We are a part of a 3 men cell, and have been since we were kids. So yes, there is quite a bit of history between us."

She nodded, still feeling that there was more to it.

"You said three men cell … Who's the third person?"

"Naruto. Although Sai has been … replacing me for … some time."

"Replacing you?"

"It's a long story," he said, waving his hand.

"Did I do that thing before? The thing I did earlier, to the table."

He smiled. Which was something new to her. She found his smile quite attractive.

"Yeah, you did a few times, when you had to. You're pretty strong; to a point that no one wants to mess with you. Naruto used to call you a monster … affectionately!" he added quickly.

"... I don't like to be called a monster."

"Yes I know."

"No … I mean, I remember that. I remember that I didn't like to be called a monster."

* * *

They walked through the graveyard carefully, not sure which part was the person's resting place or path. The tombs were not well kept; it reminded Abigail of what Brent said. These people had once been some folk's loved ones; why did the people abandon this graveyard and left it unkempt?

Her mind went to her mother's resting place. She hasn't visited her grave this year. She wondered how she felt, knowing that she had not come. How did spirits feel? Were they afraid of being forgotten? She remembered someone once said that the dead couldn't care less; their souls were with God, glorified forever, so nothing else mattered anymore. They were home. But was it really the case? Did that mean that her mother didn't care about her anymore?

And since she was in another world, could her mother still see her? Was heaven accessible through this place?

She felt a tickle at the base of her neck and a bunch of very thin curved sticks when she reached out to scratch. When she pulled back her hand to see what it was, she shrieked in horror when the two inches spider ran around her hand and arm, trying to find a way down.

The creepy crawly landed on the two legged creature a few seconds ago. Descending from the tree the spider was planning on crawling down and away towards the tombstone. But now, the two legged hairless creature was being unreasonably agitated!

Sai, who was beside Aby, saw her struggle; violently shaking her hand while screaming. He managed to rub it off with his hand.

"It's OK, they're not dangerous. Quite the opposite."

Abigail shook uncontrollably and grimaced in disgust.

"What is this place anyway?" she asked, her heart still racing, rubbing her arms and the goosebumps away.

"The mountain's graveyard," Shikamaru answered. "On the North side of the Land of Fangs."

"Has it been abandoned? It doesn't look like it's been taken care of."

"This is not the village's graveyard. It's very old. When these folks here came around, they found what was left of the Land of Ancestors' villagers after the God Tree consumed them." Shikamaru explained.

"You mean, the tree from the Infinite Tsukuyomi?" she asked with a shiver.

"_These were the graves of the victims of the first genjutsu?"_ she thought.

"Yes. They wanted, at the very least, to respect the victims; bury them and forget about it. That is why it is remote in the mountains. But the mountain was not named after _this_ graveyard."

"What? There is more than one graveyard?"

Shikamaru smirked and pointed ahead, as they all came through the thick forest, standing on the edge of a cliff. What lays ahead was a huge valley full of gigantic animal bones; everywhere, protruding from the ground, amidst some trees and bushes and rocks; last vestiges, explained Shikamaru, of what used to be monstrous beasts of the past.

Other smaller mountains and hills covered the horizon. Their point of interest, however, was to their left; A small village on the cliff where they were standing, about a mile away.

They followed Gaara along the narrow path towards the village.

"Be careful," he started. "The path seems treacherous."

He stomped on the edge to support his observation. It crumbled under his foot and the pieces of dirt rolled down the cliff, bringing more dirt with it like a mini avalanche.

His eyes met Abigail's, who was the most inexperienced of the group. She nodded in response and walked as far away from the edge as possible, followed by Sai, who was the last of the group.

"Do you think they have ramen?"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru said, shaking his head.

"What? A village is not a village if they don't have a ramen shop, is all I'm saying."

"How long are we staying here?" asked Abigail.

"Just for tonight. The ship should be repaired and ready to go in the morning." Gaara answered. "That's what the captain said anyway."

She observed the land around them, which didn't seem as cold as the one they travelled to get to the ship in the first place.

"Why can't we go home on foot from here?" she asked. "I don't know about you but this land seems more ideal than the one we came from."

"The only reason we are here is because we had no choice. The ship had a mechanical issue and we were lucky to be close to a port that was able to fix it; especially in this remote place. Besides, we still have to pay captain Akito, and we have a horse and carriage to get back, we can't just abandon those."

"Why would these people stay so far apart from the world?"

"Well, I suppose, _to stay apart from the world_!" Suggested Sai. "We have been in conflict and war with each other since the very beginning of time; I guess these people were happy to stay away from it all,"

Their little group must have been slightly intimidating; a few children who were playing near the edge ran within the village when they saw them arriving. Abigail was wondering where their parents were. There was no way she would have allowed children to play so close to a cliff!

No one greeted them at the entrance of the village, which was a red flag for Gaara. Shikamaru seemed to find it odd as well, but none of them spoke a word.

The few people who were standing outside were either staring at them or going back to their chores. Some went back inside their home.

"What a cute little friendly place," Abigail said, sarcastically.

"Not the most agreeable place, I'll give you that," Sai said.

"Something's off," Shikamaru whispered. "This is beyond "unfriendly", it's like a ghost town."

He observed a lone girl staring with worried eyes from a distance, holding a stick in her hand. The girl dressed in a long worn out and dirty dress was seemingly tracing something in the dirt prior to their arrival. She stood there, frozen, her dishevelled dirty blond hair moving with the breeze.

"Hey there," said Shikamaru with a smile he meant to be reassuring. "Could you let us know where the INN is?"

The girl's eyes grew bigger and she made one step back, dropping her stick at the same time.

The shinobis looked at her, perplexed from her reaction. Was the INN haunted or something?

"TARU?"

The door slammed open after the worried female's voice was heard. She looked left then right, and ran towards the little girl, upon seeing her. The frantic woman wrapped her arms around the girl and ran back towards the door. She turned the knob so quickly, thinking the door was opened, she bumped into it and cursed silently, turning the knob again with a trembling hand, until the door opened. She rushed in, dragging the girl inside.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru took a few quick steps towards the house.

"Wait! No need to be scared, honest! We just want to ask you where the INN is!"

They heard a loud double click from within; the door was now locked.

"M'am, "Abigail asked with a loud voice. "Is something in this village frightening you?"

There was a pause.

"No! Everything is fine!" the woman answered, locked in her house.

Abigail turned around and saw a pair of curious eyes in the window of a house across from the lady's. She looked at her friends.

"There is something in the village frightening them," she said.

"Clearly," Gaara nodded, looking around him. There was not a sound.

Abigail walked to the house and climbed the steps and knocked twice, softly.

"M'am? We know something is scaring you. My name is Abigail, I can assure you, we are not here to hurt you. Our ship had mechanical issues and we had to stop by for the night."

The house was still quiet, as if no one was ever there.

"We are shinobis … I mean, my friends are. Maybe we can help you?" she turned to her friends for confirmation. When they nodded, she turned her attention to the knob and put her hand on it.

"Can I come in?"

There was a long pause and a very faint _clickety-tak_ was heard. She waited a few seconds before turning the knob.

"I'm coming in, ok?"

She entered the door and was followed by the shinobis a minute later.

The woman had her daughter in her arms, crouched down against the farthest wall of the room.

"I apologize if we frightened you. Can you tell us what is going on?"

The woman trembled, her eyes peeled on Abigail and the shinobis.

"Is _someone _here?" asked Shikamaru.

The woman shook her head, still holding on to her daughter.

"_Help_" the woman mouthed, then looked at a framed photo on the kitchen table. Abigail followed her gaze.

"Your husband?" Gaara whispered. The lady nodded.

"Is he the one threatening you?" Gaara asked.

The woman shook her head violently.

"Is he dead?" askedSai.

The woman closed her eyes and cried silently.

"Where are they?" asked Abigail, "The people who killed him, where are they?"

The woman observed them a moment.

"The INN," she barely whispered, afraid someone else would hear.

The shinobis looked at each other and made their way out.

"Where is the INN?" asked Abigail with a gentle voice.

She pointed to the right with a trembling hand and closed her eyes, expecting something terrible to happen.

Aby walked out and closed the door softly behind her.

"It's that way," she said to Naruto who was ahead of the others.

"All right then, let's give a visit to these butt-holes."

The INN wasn't hard to find. As expected, no one was around and two doors guarding the entrance were half opened, creaking as they moved with the wind.

The shinobis made their way in, but Abigail was stopped by Gaara.

"No," he said.

"Oh come on! Let me have a go too! I never fought against real thugs!"

"First, we don't know if they're thugs. They could be other shinobis and you're no match for those yet."

"How am I going to get experience if I don't participate in the fights?"

"Are you serious?"

"You guys will be with me anyway, right?"

They heard laughter inside the INN. Gaara watched Abigail and pulled her to him, unexpectedly. She accepted his embrace with relief. All this time he acted cold, as if he was still angry. Or maybe he was still; she didn't know for sure what was behind these green, turquoise eyes of his.

"You're not going to listen to whatever I say anyway, will you."

"That's not fair, I usually do!" she said, pouting. He raised an eyebrow that made her smile. Clearly she didn't sound credible.

"Stay by my side," he said.

"OK!"

"At all times."

"What if—"

"_AT. ALL. TIMES."_

"OKAY!"

* * *

Naruto glared at the folks sitting at the two tables near the bar. _Seven_ he counted. He walked to the bar and met the bartender's eyes. He was cleaning a few fancy crystal looking glasses.

Shikamaru sat at the bar in silence, waiting for the bartender to acknowledge him. The latter glanced at one of the guys sitting at the table to the right. The laid back bearded man smiled generously, showing white teeth. He nodded and waved the hand that was resting on the back chair as an approval.

"What can I get you," the bartender asked with a tired voice.

"That's seriously fancy stuff you got there," he answered, showing the squeaky clean glasses he was over-scrubbing. "Doesn't quite match the state of this village."

The bartender glanced once more at the man who chuckled.

"You got a problem with our supplies, newcomer?" the man asked.

"Is this your INN?" asked Naruto, stepping toward the man. All the chairs moved back; the other guys were ready to act if Naruto got too close. The man didn't even twitch. Still laid back, he answered with a shrug.

"Yeah sure, though business hasn't been good lately, at least, not that kind of business," he said with sparkling eyes before he took a noisy gulp of sparkling wine. The other guys chuckled in answer.

Abigail grimaced as she watched him put down the crystal glass on the table; tainted with dirty fingerprints.

The bartender, whose chin was adorned by a neatly groomed short beard, sighed and kept on cleaning the glass, a slight nervousness at the tip of his fingers.

"Ale is it?" he said, putting down the glass. He got to a lever near the side of the bar and filled three glass mugs of a dark brew to the rim.

"It's home brew," added one of the men sitting at the other table on the left. He looked at them while playing with a silver dagger adorned with small colorful jewels.

"That's a nice dagger," said Sai with a friendly smile. He was rolling his eyes in his mind. The man was obviously showing off his treasure.

"Hanabi would like that kind of stuff," added Naruto. "That's my wife's sister," he explained to the man holding the dagger. The men at the table fidgeted. They didn't like the fact that the newcomers didn't seem nervous one bit.

"What's your business here?" asked the bartender, with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Hey, beer guy!" interrupted the laid back man with a threatening voice. "I ask the questions here!"

At that moment Abigail and Gaara entered the room. One of the men frowned when he saw Abigail. He leaned in closer to his friends and whispered something.

"What did we miss?" Abigail said, excited


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"More friends I see," the man said.

The bartender grabbed two more glass mugs but stopped in his tracks when the man held his hand as a "stop" sign. "You didn't answer the question." he said to Shikamaru.

"Well, you told him _you _asked the questions," Shikamaru answered. "You didn't ask yet."

The man stopped smiling and abruptly stood up. The shinobis didn't move back or even looked concerned. They remained in their initial position.

"What. Is. Your. Business. Here." he said with a threatening demeanor.

"We are looking to stop for the night," answered Gaara, nonchalantly. Abigail met the eyes of the man who stared at her curiously. She frowned as well. He seemed familiar.

"I'm afraid we are closed to strangers," the leader replied.

Gaara looked to the bartender. "Are you?"

"HEY!" The man ran to Gaara and grabbed him by the collar. Gaara slowly turned his head to look at his assailant and grinned, studying him up and down.

"I'd let go if I were you," he almost whispered, tilting his head slightly.

"Clearly you don't know us," the man said, grinning back. A click sound made its way to Gaara's ears and the man plunged a small pocket knife, aiming for Gaara's ribs. To his surprise, the knife was stopped by a barrier of sand. Gaara's head tilted slightly on the other side. If Abigail hadn't known him, she would have been freaked out by his grin.

"Awwww, did you just try to stab me?"

Abigail and the man recognize each other at the same time, the shock spread like wildfire on each other's face.

"YOU!" the man and Aby yelled at the same time, attracting the attention of the rest of the INN.

A young lady appeared from the side of the bar that led to the washrooms; a prelude of the attack that was destined to happen any second now.

She ran out, holding her ripped shirt, her face wearing the traits of shame and tears of fright in her eyes. Another man followed soon after, walking slowly, fixing his own shirt.

"Holy Shit!" he laughed when he came into sight. "The girl struggled so much I couldn't get in!" He stopped when he saw the scene.

Gaara knocked out the distracted leader with a single head butt, and let him fall on the ground. He raised his hands and sand blurted out of his gourd.

Sai and Naruto answered four of the six men who were sitting until now. They each took a knife out of their pocket and jumped on the shinobis. They were more skilled than the shinobis anticipated, but still not impossible to defeat.

As previously agreed, Abigail stayed close to Gaara, albeit the other two men who lunged at him with a war cry. She got knocked over by one of them who avoided one of Gaara's blows.

_Maybe this is "too close",_ she thought nervously. She dragged herself a meter away before catching the eyes of the man whom she recognised earlier.

_What the hell?_

The man didn't move to attack the shinobis, but he eyed her with too much determination. She knew it wouldn't be long before he made his move on her.

Right on cue, the man lunged at her.

_Well_, she thought, _this is a thug, right?_ Moment of truth!

She rolled away quicker than her training as seen her do so far. Nothing better than a real fight to measure the newly acquired skills!

The man ended up empty handed and surprised. He might have underestimated her a bit. When he swore to himself to be a little more serious with her, his nose was met with a palm, blinding him on the spot. He then felt his family jewels on fire. His knees gave in before he received another kick under his chin.

Abigail was disappointed in that last one. She was expecting him to fly a few meters back, just like in the movies; But he just grunted in pain, still blinded by the nose palm she inflicted on him a few seconds ago.

Still! That was too easy for her taste. There had barely been any struggle. She gave a quick look around her before setting her eyes on the large man.

"So you got here too!" she said.

"So you speak japanese?" the large man said, wiping the last bit of nosebleed with his sleeve. He spat some blood on the ground near Abigail. As he got back up to his feet, she thought she might have overestimated the effectiveness of her attacks. She tried not to let her worries show.

"That topic is getting old," she said in an annoyed tone. "Your friends didn't follow you here?"

He smirked in answer. "My friends are not the ones you should worry about right now."  
He stood tall above her, obviously no longer bothered about his previous injuries. Fear raised the fine hairs on her neck. She spared another quick look towards Gaara and he met her eyes between two blows.

The man stepped forward and she reacted in an offensive. She threw a weak but precise jab to his right eye and followed with a back fist. He caught the second fist and closed his hand tightly around hers. He blinked and growled in annoyance, rubbing the eye that was punched a few seconds earlier. This was not going the way she had hoped to.

Seeing that she couldn't free herself from his grip, she started to panic, kicking and punching in the air.

"Let go!"

He rolled her inward on his chest; wrapping his left arm around her neck. She struggled to get free and almost succeeded. When she got away, he grabbed her by the arm and swivelled her around, slapping her at the same time, hard.

She crashed against the wall and fell on the ground, dizzy. "_Oh wow, I can literally see stars turning around my head. You gotta love this world!"_

She thought she heard someone calling her name, though she was too knocked out to make out who it lifted her off the ground effortlessly and wrapped his arm around her neck again. This is when she started to feel the warm liquid form in her mouth. She spit the blood out.

"You're fucking lucky that he said not to kill you,," he said before getting a knife out. The blade was too big and too long for her taste. "We may need you alive, but nothing was said about not hurting you," he added with a nasty yellow grin.

Cold sweat ran down her spine as she stilled. She tried to tell herself that the threat was over, but deep inside; she knew it wasn't. She had that feeling that there were more guys looking for her. She was afraid of the answer. Was it possible? Was it Chris?

"Who told you to keep me alive?" she asked with difficulty.

His arm was tight against her throat.

"That doesn't matter sweetheart. We didn't expect you to come around here, but that'll make it easier for us."

She looked towards Gaara, thinking it would be a good time for some help. She hated the idea that he might have, yet again, been right; she wasn't strong enough, and the guy wasn't even a shinobi! Her ego was scratched and her confidence was wavering fast. Gaara was completely surrounded by sand, shielding him from the other assailants. He couldn't see her; therefore he probably didn't know she was in trouble. Did he?

He sneaked a quick peek when he heard Naruto's voice cry out for Abigail.

"Would you mind loosening your grip a little?" she asked her captor with a strangled voice. He laughed in answer and moved towards the exit.

"HELP!" she cried in a moment of panic. Her heart twisted when she saw the other shinobis trying to get to her, except for Gaara who was still in his whirlwind of sand. They were busy knocking out the rest of the enemy. They were fast, but not fast enough. The guy was dragging her away like a tiger who already killed its prey.

"GAARA!" she cried towards the whirlwind of sand. The whirlwind suddenly dropped to the ground and solidified in the shape of shards and spikes, rising from the ground. The two guys who were fighting him cried in pain, stuck amidst the solidified sand. Gaara slid behind one of them, grabbed him by his jacket with two hands and angrily threw him exactly where Abigail was.

The big guy's reaction was to drop Abigail and catch the guy who was thrown at him. He surprisingly slid back a few meters, without dropping the other man.

The sight was so extraordinary that all fights ceased just to watch. The leader also watched, amazed by the strength of the man. Abigail ran and stood beside Gaara who's eyes were peeled on the man, his mouth slightly opened in shock.

The man who was thrown smirked.

"Wow! Thanks for catching me, man! I—"

The huge guy dropped him on the floor and roared in anger. He grabbed the man also by the jacket and spun him around for momentum; releasing him, flying to Gaara. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't as strong. After he quickly pushed Aby out of the way, he received the man full force and they were both thrown out of the INN through the wooden wall, over the steps and crashed a few meters down the street. A few frightened and curious onlookers observed the scene outside. The man stood up quicker than Gaara who had involuntarily cushioned the enemy's fall.

"WOOA!" Naruto exclaimed. "That guy's strong!"

"NARUTO! WATCH—"

Sai didn't need to warn him of the opportunistic attack coming to him. Naruto had already countered it, throwing him to the ground and knocking him out with a punch. They ran out to join Gaara, except Sai who was left to deal with the big guy.

Abigail pushed the door open and stopped in her tracks. Among the curious villagers, were suddenly more enemies, two of them she recognized also.

"_So his friends ARE here after all," _she thought.

They raised an eyebrow when they saw her and looked at each other. She felt a huge presence behind her and she flung herself forward instinctively. When she reached the bottom stairs, however, someone pulled her by her collar.

"Is she really worth that much to you guys?" The leader said while pulling his kunai to her throat. She didn't know where he came from.

"_Minus 3 points for awareness," _she thought with a sigh.

"Yes," the huge man said, joining his two friends.

_What happened to Sai?!_

"Lucky for you you didn't have to lift a finger to get her," he added, spitting on the ground. "I don't think we need to pay you anymore."

Gaara stood up with Naruto's help, his eyes peeled on Abigail and her assailant. Were they seriously discussing business with them still around? With HIM still around?!

"Calm down, Gaara," Naruto whispered in his ear. "Maybe we can let them help us figure out what this whole thing is about."

The leader removed the knife from her throat to scratch his hairy chin with it before returning it to its original position.

"You didn't exactly help fight. I think we're still entitled to it. Besides, what are you people going to do with it? A weapon infused with chakra is not exactly useful to you, is it?"

"But it's pretty to look at!" the guy with the dagger said. It's jewel shone like a rainbow under the sunlight as he rotated it between his fingers. "And it's worth a lot of money, no doubt."

"It was our deal," reminded the leader.

"The deal was to go to Konoha and get her. You didn't even have to travel. No delivery, no shipping cost, not even a hint of trouble."

"I wouldn't call this troubleless," he hissed, pointing at the shinobis. "And I'm still the one who has her. I still have to 'deliver' her to you, don't I?"

He grinned, holding her firmly, the knife still on her throat."

Abigail could see her friends still; listening, waiting.

"I don't suppose I have any say in this story?" she said.

The traders ignored her, as if she was a simple object under appraisal. The big man scratched his chin, analysing the situation. He finally looked over to the man with the dagger and nodded. The latter sighed in disappointment and walked towards the leader, handing over the dagger and backing away.

The big guy raised an eyebrow when he saw that the leader did not hand over Abigail.

"You know, come to think of it," he started. "Fighting the Kazekage was not part of it either. Him alone should double the price!"

One of the two guys who stayed silent until now growled, impatient.

"You didn't worry about the blond guy over there, who's the most powerful of them all, but raise the price with that guy?"

"We expected Naruto to slightly cause trouble if we were not careful, but not a kage on top of it! Do you really think they're just going to stay there and say 'oh well! She's gone! Nothing we can do about it now!' They're gonna go after you! And us! You need to take care of them now. Looks like you need a little more from us!" The leader grinned. "And we're gonna need a little more than the dagger."

The three guys grumbled under their breath. The huge man turned to his friend.

"Yashi, what else do we have?"

Abigail's eyes widened when she saw the man pull the gun from his trousers from the back.

"What's that thing?" asked the leader with a grimace.

"That thing's ugly! What's so special about it?" said another one standing nearby.

Gaara watched Abigail stir in the man's grasp.

"Aby, what is that?" he asked her with a frown on his face.

"It's a gun," she said, simply.

The three men looked at each other, amused.

"Oh, you don't have those here?" the man called Yashi said.

No, they didn't. Abigail realized that this world was at some disadvantage against guns here. Shinobis were powerful and fast, but so were guns; probably also much faster.

"Well, let me demonstrate!" Yashi slid the slider lock back, pointed down at the leader's feet and fired. The sound and instant damage it made in the ground made people jump in fright and gasp. Gaara's eyes widened as well. So did Naruto's, as sound still echoed down the valley.

"What the …"

"Guys, be careful!" Abigail said with a tight voice.

The leader lost his grin when the gun was pointed at him. Abigail also stopped stirring, afraid that the man would not be very good at aiming.

"Come to think of it," Yashi said, "if I just shoot him, then we keep the dagger AND the girl!"

"Wait, Yashi." the huge guy said. "Those shinobis might be a problem."

"We can just shoot'hem!"

"Maybe one, but the others will be quick to get the gun out of our hands. They're ninjas. We're outmatched here. But these guys," he said, pointing at the leader and his men," are also ninjas. They can slow them down while we run with the girl. I mean look at them; they would already have stopped us if it wasn't' for him holding on to the girl!"

The man named Yashi weighted the words for a moment before approaching the leader, the gun still pointing at him.

"Well?" he said, serious. "Take it! Unless you think it's not enough payment for you? But that's pretty much all we have left."

The leader grabbed the canon part, but pulled away with a shout. The man, still holding the gun pointed at him grinned.

"Careful, it's still hot!" he said before turning the grip part around for the leader to take.

He took it carefully, his other hand still holding the knife on Abigail's throat, and eyed the man curiously.

"Well? Give it a try!" he said after grabbing Abigail and dragging her toward them.

"Hey!" Naruto screamed.

The leader observed the gun closely, slid back the lock as he saw the man do before, pointed it to Naruto and Gaara and fired three times. Gaara barely had time to make a sand wall. The first shot bounced back, but the last two went right through it.

One bullet exploded in a wheelbarrow a few meters behind them; the other other one hit Gaara in the chest. The shock of impact and surprise came first. The pain came a few seconds later. He found it hard to breathe and when he looked down a dark stain spread over his shirt. He felt his whole body go numb and fell back on the ground.

He barely heard Abigail's scream, or felt Naruto's hands as he knelt down beside him, looking panicked. More shouts, more movements, more voices; all blending in the dark. He felt his heart pump faster. The only thing that would make his heart pump like that was Abigail.

Naruto looked back and forth between Abigail, struggling to get free and Gaara who was smiling oddly. He was losing so much blood! What the heck was this weapon!

He decided to heal Gaara, hoping the others would rescue Abigail. Healing chakra was not enough. The wound was not closing and the blood was pulsing out of his chest. Did it hit the heart?! No, Gaara was still alive, but he was fading quickly! He wrapped himself in the golden chakra that Kurama provided him. He closed his eyes to focus on whatever was inside of him, but it was clouded by all the blood.

"Come on Naruto!" he told himself. "You dealt with worse than that before!"

Except that it wasn't anything like that. That thing was different. Judging by Aby's expression, it came from her world. One thing came to his mind: were they able to deal with weapons from another world? He didn't have time to question. He had to stop the bleeding somehow. He grabbed the first thing he saw, Gaara's kazekage hat, and pressed it hard against his chest, flowing chakra through it, hoping it would help.

Abigail was yet again in another nightmare. Gaara was on the ground, his blood flowing out of his body. She felt that his whole body would be completely drained within seconds.

"Please, please, let me go to him! Please!" She cried, her feet heavy. She couldn't walk. They were literally dragging her in the dirt. She couldn't get her eyes off Gaara.

"_He's dying! Oh my God, he's dying! And there's nothing I can do."_

She sobbed as she watched Naruto trying to figure out how to stop the bleeding. This weapon was not of this world.

"_BRENT! HELP ME! BRENT!"_

It was a new feeling she had; To cry out for his help. Something she knew she was supposed to do, even if she knew he wouldn't come because she didn't have the stupid staff to call him. Why did she need it anyway?

She felt something stir in her. Maybe it was him. Maybe Brent felt her call out to him, but he couldn't get through because she didn't have the staff?

She didn't know what to think. She just cried, aware that she was taken away.

They were already out of sight. The three men carried her like a potato pouch. She didn't have the strength to do anything. She just stared blankly at the dirt path under her, her tears moistening it here and there.

A series of strange shards suddenly rained from the sky. The ground seemed to explode everywhere. She was dropped on the ground while the three men shielded their heads from the shards. They looked up when it stopped. A shadow flew over their head, and more shards attacked them.

Abigail noticed a large white bird flying over. It disappeared with a "POOF" and Sai landed in front of her. He withdrew his scroll and took his brush out of his pocket before the three men could do anything. In no time, he had a giant tiger pinning them to the ground. One of them got away and ran to Sai. The man had no martial art skills whatsoever, but he was outrageously strong! Every blow Sai threw at him was simply met with a 'THUMP'.

"Dammit!" Sai whispered between his teeth, trying to find a weakness in him. "Abigail! If there's water around, now's the time to fight!"

She watched him, feeling helpless.

"Aby! The faster we deal with them, the faster we help Gaara!"

"I can't help him."

"You certainly can't if you don't try!" he said, constantly dancing around the large man.

"AH AH! She's useless, just like those kids she tried to help,"

"Oh shut up! I wasn't talking to you!" Sai spat.

He drew some more in his scroll, jumping away from the man. This time, after a few hand gestures, a dozen small paper mice came out and ran to the man, climbed under his clothes, annoying the heck out of him.

"Ow! They're biting me! How is it that those paper things can bite?!

"There's no water around," she said. "I can't do nothing. I'm not strong enough, I'm not quick enough, I'm just … not enough."

"ABY STOP THAT!" Sai said. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF AND HELP ME GET RID OF THESE SCUM BAGS!"

She looked at an angry Sai who was doing his best to stay out of reach of the man. He also didn't have a clue how to defeat him, but it didn't stop him from trying.

She forced herself up and shook the sight of Gaara's memory away. Sai was right. She certainly wouldn't save him if she didn't try. But how?

_One step at a time. _

Another loud 'POOF' was heard and the tiger disappeared. The huge man and Yashi must have 'killed' it with their knife. They were now standing up, panting, and looking at her._  
_  
She looked around. There was no water. She remembered the sea a few miles away, but it was too far. She needed something now.

"Sai! Your gourd!"

The three men jumped on him at the same time. He had just the time to put the gourd's cap out and throw the content of the gourd out in the air.

Aby screamed and waved her arm to catch each cell of that water. She waved around some more and "threw" her arms forward, sending shards of "water" or rather, shards of "ice" to the three men.

"ICE BULLETS!" she screamed, since it was the first thing that she could think of.

It was enough.

Each C02 cell had taken the shape of a tiny, almost invisible shard; her mind made them so hard that they went right through the large men. Some through the neck, some through the legs, arms, belly, etc. The crystal sharp particles landed in a splash of water on trees, bushes and grass.

Sai struggled himself out from under the three big men and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"See?" he said. "Don't be too quick to accept defeat!"

"Please, tell me he's going to be okay!" she answered.

"I don't know, let's go see! Hurry!"

He drew another bird on his scroll and they both flew the few meters that separated them from the village, and ultimately, from Gaara.

Naruto was still working on him. A frown was marking his face, which Abigail did not like.

"Is it working?" she still asked in hope he would give her a good answer.

"No! I don't know what else to do! What do you guys do in your world, Abigail? When someone is injured from one of … these things? What do you guys do?!"

She sniffed.

"I'm not sure …"

"Abigail! He is dying! Help me here!"

Gaara mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" she said.

"I don't know, he's been talking like that for a while now. I don't know what he's saying. It's something he's repeating over and over, but I can't hear."

"At the hospital, they would remove the bullet."

"What's a bullet?!" Shikamaru demanded to know. He was holding a whole bunch of enemies with his shadow paralysis jutsu. She didn't know how long he had been, but he was starting to shake; probably at the last bit of chakra he had remaining.

"It's a piece of metal."

"Can you remove it?"

She laughed and cried at the same time.

"If I could I would not be standing here!"

"Well think of something!"

"Even if I knew, I don't have the tools! I'm not a doctor!"

"You are … a water user,: Shikamaru said. "Use that! Shit!"

His jutsu broke, releasing the others. Naruto grumbled under his breath. No matter what happened, he couldn't release the pressure on Gaara's chest.

The other shinobis, who now had the dagger and the gun, pursued, as expected, stopped by Shikamaru and Sai. Abigail stood in the midst of the metal against metal and chaotic footsteps.

_What can I possibly do!_

They heard a loud roar, followed by another one, coming from different directions.

When Abigail lifted her eyes, a very huge Shukaku stepped over her, marking the ground with his huge claws. She felt the ground's vibration every time he stepped. Coming from another direction was Killer B, sitting on the nose of a very large Octopus like creature. The sheer size of them froze her in place. Naruto, however, smiled.

"Octopus! Shukaku! Man I'm glad to see you guys!"

He gasps, suddenly realizing. "Was he calling you? Was it your name he was whispering all this time?"

The villagers scattered all around the village. Not sure what to fear most: the giant creatures or the thugs of the village.

Gyūki, the eight tails beast, encouraged by Killer B, slapped a few enemies out of the way with a tentacle. Shukaku squashed three of them with just one paw, splattering blood all over like a balloon spilling water.

Killer B jumped off Gyūki and walked toward the only enemy remaining, the leader. He fired at the giant octopus who groaned in pain. It only made it angry. The man dropped the gun and contemplated his fate, shaking.

"I hope you made your prayers, thug;  
My BFB is very fond of hugs!"

The eight tails rolled his eyes and wrapped a tentacle around the last man standing; squeezed the last breath out of him and sent him flying over the cliff like a squashed annoying bug.

Sai and Shikamaru sat down in the dirt to catch their breaths.

"BFB?" asked Sai with a frown.

"I don't know …" Shikamaru said, waving the question away.

Killer B stood over them with disdain while offering a hand.

"BFB stands for 'Best Friend Beast', Fools, you Fools!"

Abigail ran to Gaara and kneeled beside him, cupping her hands around his head; he was drenched in sweat and couldn't look straight.

"Naruto," she said with a sob. "I don't know what to do!"

The one and eight tails came around and leaned over Gaara. Gyūki observed Abigail for the first time.

"Oh! You were right!" he said to Shukaku. "What is this?!"

"I told you! The lad is special."

"I want to bow down to her for some reason,"

"Don't be so freaking low!"

"I didn't say I like it!"

"What's wrong with him now!" exclaimed Shukaku, changing the subject. 'Why does he look like he's dying!"

"Because he is!" raged Naruto. "I can't stop whatever is messing him up and she doesn't know what to do!"

"I feel like you should," said Gyūki, perplexed.

"I told you that also, she doesn't know what she is … heck, I don't even know what she is!"

"Well," Abigail started, trying to stay calm. "I know putting pressure is good to stop the blood, but you can't heal it if the bullet is still inside."

"Then remove the bullet," Shukaku said, as if speaking to an idiot.

"I don't have the tools!" she said, imitating his tone.

"Water is flowing in you," Gyūki said gently. "Use the water to pull it out."

"How?" she asked. The beast did not answer.

She looked at Gaara and remembered the stone in the bubble of water. She had control of it. She could hold it in place, or destroy it. Obviously, she could also move it. The realization hit her like a breath of fresh air. She took Naruto's water gourd. He didn't question it and kept his hands hovering above Gaara. She could feel heat radiating from Naruto's body. It was like a mini sun among them. She was also sensing that he was getting tired.

She poured a stream of water out of the gourd and guided it towards Gaara's wound. She couldn't see where the wound was exactly, but she breathed and closed her eyes, picturing the wound in her mind, and the path that the bullet made. The small stream of water made its way through it, before everyone's eyes.

Gaara flinched and clenched his teeth as the water made its way through. It was the weirdest feeling he's ever felt, along with the pain. He could feel the stinging path where the bullet entered to where it was lodged. He grabbed the first thing his hand encountered for comfort, which was Abigail's thigh. He squeezed hard, but she didn't flinch.

She pictured in her mind, a very thin layer of water submerging the entire bullet. She could see that it was cracked somehow. It didn't matter. She would bring the whole thing out.

She pulled back the water, which gave resistance. Gaara screeched and trembled.

"Don't stop," Naruto said, "keep going! Don't worry about him!"

She tensed at the noise Gaara made, something she wasn't used to. Pain that he would never be able to explain unless someone else got shot. She wondered how different it was. Removing a knife versus removing a bullet. It couldn't be so different. Still…

He twisted his body and screamed when the bullet came out.

Naruto smiled, feeling he was in control of the healing again. Gaara eased up and lost consciousness. Abigail let the bubble of water fall in her hand and it splashed, running through her fingers, leaving only the bullet, still hot, who's pieces came apart in her hand.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

"What are you doing here?" asked Temari, surprised.

"Can't I visit my only sister?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in Suna, helping Baki during Gaara's absence?"

"He's doing fine without me. How ARE you?"

"... I'm fine! How else would I be?"

Kankuro watched her sister, paused and grinned.

"Shikamaru has been away for some time now, just thought I'd check on you."

She lifted her eyes to the sky. "You don't have to, baka! I've got plenty of friends here to take care of me. Not that I need caring for!"

"Sure. Hey, how's that girl, er ... what's her name again?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Sofia?"

"YEEEES! That's the one! How is she doing?"

"Still stays at the same place, Kankuro."

"Oh really? Good for her. I don't think I'll run into her, although I should say Hi to Kaskashi and pay my respect, you know, so who knows. Nice to see you sis. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

She put her hand on her mouth and took a deep breath, frowning. Her nausea had been more severe these last few days. Kankuro watched her with concern as he was leaving.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just some nausea I'm dealing with." she met his inquiring gaze. "I … ate something yesterday that didn't sit right with my stomach. Don't worry about me. You're not asking about her other friends?" she added, changing the subject with a smirk.

"OH! Well, sure, might as well, I mean, I was going to, duh! How are they?"

"They're fine," she said laughing. "Just go see her already, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"Who?" he said overly disinterested.

"Sofia!

"That totally wasn't part of my plans! I've got more serious things to do. I mean she's a nice girl, but I was only asking about her because ... you know, she has a tendency to put herself in trouble, so … thought I might ask how she was doing."

"She said she was going to a picnic with the brats at the river …"

"Okay I'm gonna leave you to your stuff now, I wouldn't want to disturb you any longer."

"You're not dis—"

"Bye Sis! Love you!" he yelled, already walking out of the garden gate."

Temari smiled, shook her head, closed the door and went back to her nap.

She grabbed Shikamaru's pillow, took a good sniff and hugged it tight.

"I miss you."

* * *

Shikamaru leaned on the rail of the ship while watching the other ship disappearing over the horizon.

Sai joined him.

"I just sent a note to Sasuke."

They watched the ship disappearing over the horizon.

"Killer B and his men should reach the Land of Lightning within a few days?"

"About four days according to their captain." answered Shikamaru.

"The waters seem calmer than when we started out, they might get there sooner."

"I'm sure they calculated accordingly," Shikamaru said, shrugging his shoulders. "How's the Kazekage doing?"

"Still out."

Shikamaru sighed and made his way across the deck to get inside where the temp was warmer. Sai followed, noticing their captain seemingly whistling from his cabin.

The difference of the sea's temperament from when they left was astounding. They spoke of missing ships, creatures and storms when they left for the Land of Snow; now the sea was as quiet as the dormant volcano below. The fog was still thick, but the air wasn't threatening anymore.

Sai pushed through the door after Shikamaru and sat at the small round table.

"I wonder if all the trouble those fishermen were having was because of the dragons." he said.

Shikamaru laid back in his chair, a frown on his brows, his knee bouncing up and down as new theory formed in his mind.

"If I remember well, they said the ships started to disappear a few weeks ago."

"And? Do you think those thugs back at the village were involved?"

Shikamaru shook his head, still in contemplation.

"Not directly. The dragons were obviously the culprits, though maybe not intentionally. The young dragon must have been getting caught in the fisherman's net or something like that, and the mother kept on trying to protect her youngster."

"Yeah, I know a few moms who can turn into beasts to protect their babies!" Sai said.

Shikamaru spared a glance at him and allowed a thin and quick grin, thinking about Temari. He was sure she would be no different …

"The thugs," he continued, "also appeared a few weeks ago. So did Abigail and her friends. I think the dragons consequently came around the same time."

Sai's eyes grew big. "They sensed Abigail!"

"Or at least the young dragon did. It's possible; especially if they're supposed to have a connection. What did she name it again?"

"Brent."

"See, all things related seem to be showing up around her … for her. She's got everything she needs here …"

"We just need to find them."

"The only thing we're missing is the staff, according to Akio."

"Why do I feel a staff will be the most difficult to find?" asked Sai, shaking his head.

"It doesn't help that a staff is not a living thing. It's probably lying somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The question is, where do we start looking?"

"That's a mission we were not allotted yet." Sai warned.

Shikamaru chuckled and sighed.

"It's one that will come soon enough. Dammit! I just hope we can have some rest in the warmth of Konoha before we get to that mission." he said, putting his feet on the table. "What a drag."

* * *

Gaara felt the weight of his body shift in different directions in a slow, steady rhythm. He couldn't hear anything but a "whoosh whish" that came with the shift of the weight. The whole thing was soothing. He heard the occasional sound of voices far away, barely audible. He embraced the quietness of the moment with bliss. Something he wasn't used to. He was at peace.

The deep breath he took to take all the blissful feeling in, revealed a sharp pain in his chest; reminding him suddenly of all that has transpired. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to put the pain back to sleep, but nope; it was here to stay. At least, it wasn't so strong if he laid still. He didn't want to open his eyes, desperate to go back to his previous peaceful state.

The thin blanket that was covering him was disturbed lightly. He felt a hand reach his under the cover. He removed it, startled. But the fingers gently stroked him once more. He felt them lace through his. They were soft and warm, and he thought he didn't mind them after all.

He squeezed a little harder and opened his eyes.

Her pale face had a bruise on the left, but her big brown, shiny eyes were smiling softly. She was surrounded by a halo of light, coming from a small round window behind her head. She didn't speak. She just smiled, and she was beautiful.

Abigail felt overjoyed. She didn't need to say anything. She just wanted to look at him looking at her. He was okay. He was alive. He was … so lost.

She held a chuckle in her throat. His beautiful, half opened turquoise eyes didn't waver from hers, searching for something. Her sudden appearance must have confused him and messed with his memory after all this time asleep.

She leaned in closer and brushed his hair with her fingers. He lightly closed his eyes at her touch and she planted a soft kiss on his lips.

His eyes lit up after a few seconds.

"Ohhhh,"

She laughed softly. "Hi,"

"Hi," He paused and gathered his thoughts. "How long was I out?

"Two days," she answered, still caressing his deep earthy red hair. "Shukaku and Gyūki graciously gave us a ride to the ships. Before that though … Do you remember the lady and her little girl who were scared to death? We all spent the night there, after the bad guys were taken care of. She told us everything." She paused a second and drew back. "Gaara, these guys were awful! They raped a lot of girls in the village. Her husband had been killed because he tried to stop them. The rest of the village was too afraid to help. He had no chance."

Gaara slowly raised himself in a sitting position with her help. He breathed with relief when he leaned back against the pillow, and returned his attention to her.

"What did they want?"

She held a glass of water to his mouth for him to drink. Thankful that the rocking of the ship was slow and steady.

"They're still not sure. They appeared weeks ago, and settled in their village without a care. The bartender said they had dealt with several earthquakes and seen a pillar of light coming down from the stars, far, within the land of Lightning"

Gaara lifted his eyes up and frowned when she spoke of the beam of light.

"They appeared about a week later," she continued. "Those three guys from my world were looking for someone …" she stopped there, lowering her eyes to their laced fingers.

"For you," he said. She nodded.

"Anyway, them and the other shinobis just started to make themselves at home and trashed the whole place, terrifying the villagers, abusing their powers over them."

"You knew them, the three guys,"

"Yes, they're the ones who beat up Toshiko at the Onsen we were staying at."

"Oh, it makes sense that they would have been sucked into this world if they were near you." He looked up at her, since she did not answer. Something was bothering her. "What's wrong?"

"The guy said that they were asked to not kill me."

Gaara nodded, suspecting she was starting to understand the suspicions he had all along.

"Which means they knew about me from the beginning. The only other person we know in common is … Chris. But it doesn't make sense.'

"Why not?"

"He lived in Main, in the US, just like me and my friends. His mother was in Japan, he just happened to be there that day." She raised her head to look at him. "Maybe it's his mom!"

His face showed doubt.

"Or," she added, "maybe it was Yashiko all along, and they were waiting for his instructions all this time, maybe they didn't know he was dead? Maybe they were still waiting for his cue for them to go to Konoha!"

"But that guy wasn't from Japan, you said he was from your country."

"Right," she conceded. "Okay, but does this plan need to originate from Japan? It could have been from the U.S!"

"Which means," started Gaara cautiously, "that it could also have been Chris."

The ship rocked back and forth in silence. Only the waves made their "whoosh whish" sound outside.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked quietly. "Why are you so against the idea that Chris could have something to do with it?"

She didn't answer.

"Do you still like him, Aby?"

She turned around to face him and shook her head. "No, I promise. It's not that."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"It's just," she started, "I can't help but think that I drove him that way."

"Huh?!" he opened his eyes and stared.

"Am I … do you think I might have pushed him to do that? Do you think that I was a tease, without knowing it, and he got mad and hurt and he did something stupid like stealing the key to get back at me?"

Gaara was gobsmacked. He couldn't believe she was asking such a question.

"Are you really still on that?! No!"

"Be honest,"

"Abigail! No! Of course not! I'm so mad you would even think that!" he hissed between his teeth. "Why would you …"

He groaned in pain, being too agitated. She steadied him with her hands, her chin was slightly trembling, trying to bite the emotion that threatened to leak out.

"Aby, we've been through this already. You are NOT a tease! You did NOT lead him into something bad. If anything, he did! He's the idiot here!" he hissed between his teeth.

"It's just … everything leads to him and it doesn't make sense!" she said with red eyes. "We barely knew him, he was nice and helpful; he came to the kid's rescue back then …"

"He left you alone with thugs. You almost got raped Abigail!"

"He didn't know, we got separated, he thought I came back …"

"I don't believe that for one second!" he shouted. "You know something? I even think he knew exactly what he was doing!"

"I would have ended up dead! What good am I, dead, to these guys who are trying to keep me alive?"

"Would they really have killed you?"

She opened her mouth but didn't say anything. They did say they would kill her after they were done with her, but maybe that was just bluff. Still …

"It doesn't make sense," she said.

"Aby," Gaara said with a more gentle tone, searching for words. He had to make her understand. "Yashiko has been by my side for much longer than you have known Chris. And I never saw it coming. Never! Does that seem like it makes sense?"

He waited for her to answer. He continued when she shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't know the guy that well. You don't know what he's capable of, so please, PLEASE! STOP. BLAMING. YOURSELF! He's not worth it! You didn't push him toward evil!"

She nodded and watched him pressing on his chest wound, catching his breath.

"This was too close. I need to find that stupid staff."

"You saved me," he said. "I remember," he added with a grimace, remembering the pain.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do about the pain."

He observed her for a moment, reddened, and turned away.

Abigail smirked. She was sure she knew what he was thinking about. The GREAT GAARA OF THE SAND had a moment of carnal weakness and he was trying to hide it. The more she looked at him, the more the temptation grew. He was stranded on a bed, helpless, hurt, in need of attention and as handsome as ever.

"_Poor baby,_" she caught herself thinking.

She bit her lower lip, looking at his chest, partly bandaged and pictured her fingers lightly brushing over it. Last time's memories resurfaced and sent shivers up her neck. His demanding hands, his short breaths, his bronzed skin, his beautiful jade pleading eyes in the dark.

A few knocks on the door startled them.

"Hey Aby," Naruto whispered on the other side. "How's he doing?"

She looked towards Gaara who looked between her and the door.

"Aby?" Naruto repeated

He started to push the door open and Abigail quickly closed it back and locked it, puzzled by her own reaction.

"He's still sleeping!" she said in a quick beat.

Naruto looked at the closed door, puzzled. Why did she lock it?! He shrugged as if to say 'oh well' and went away.

Aby's eyes went back to the bed and slowly rose to Gaara, her fingers sliding off the door knob one by one.

They exchanged a glance and Gaara watched her making her way toward him, feeling his heart race again.

She climbed on the bed and kissed him, long and sweet. She broke away and looked into his longing eyes, feeling each quick breath on her face. God she wanted him.

"Gaara," she started to whisper, "I think I need a little bit of you again,"

He let his passion take over and kissed her back, his tongue looking for hers with a sudden insatiable hunger. In an attempt to quench it, he flexed his abs to get even closer, which resulted in another sharp pain in his chest. Abigail pulled away, concerned.

"Dammit! Naruto closed the wound, but the pain …"

Aby put a little pressure on his chest to try to ease the pain.

"Aby," he started, panting. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can …" he said before kissing her hard again.

She pulled away again and forced him to lay back and smiled.

"It's okay, let me try to take over for this one," she said with what she thought would be a sexy grin.

* * *

Sasuke read the piece of paper Sai had sent him.

"They're coming back already," he said to Sakura. "I didn't think it would be so fast, but that's good. We can take you back to Konoha faster this way."

"Not too fast I hope."

Sasuke looked at her, surprised.

"You want to stay here?"

"Yes and no. I want to go back home, but I don't like the idea of going through _that_," she said, pointing at the heavy snow.

"With a little luck, we'll leave on a clear day, but we can't escape the cold. It'll be about two days of cold and then it will get better. Maybe we can get something warm for you and Abigail," he said, remembering her struggle.

"Why did she want to come all the way here again?"

"To find some kind of acolyte. Some animal that's supposed to be helpful to her."

Sasuke had filled her on their mission and who Abigail was. Apparently she used to be aware of all that. She didn't remember, but somehow, it felt familiar. Like an old story in her memory.

She put a hand on her forehead to try and ease a thin headache. Sasuke, aware of this, suddenly turned around and rushed to her, his face very close to hers. She thought for a second that he was going to kiss her, but he put his hand on her forehead and felt the temp, then on his forehead, to compare both temperatures.

"Deja vu," she whispered.

"What?" he said, his hand still on her forehead.

"This feels like I've seen that before, you rushing to me and checking my head."

He searched her eyes with a frown. He never did that with anyone. In fact, it was the first time he was compelled to do that, concerned for her, this protective behavior. She was usually the one who always … ohhhhhhh.

He smiled, for the second time. Again, it gave her fuzzy feelings in her stomach. He had such a beautiful smile. He was already very handsome, but his smile brought her weak to her knees. She was working hard not to let it show. Why was that? Why didn't she want to let him know that he made her feel weak in the knees? She would understand with any other men, but for some reason, she thought it shouldn't matter with this one.

"You did that to me a long time ago," he explained. "You asked me if I was okay, I said that I felt dizzy, you turned around so fast and came to me and put your hand on my forehead to check my temp. You're a medic ninja, so that's your stuff." he paused and laughed. "You surprised me so much that I thought you were going to kiss me."

"You remember all that?" she asked.

"I guess I do," he answered after a pause.

"Why did you think I was going to kiss you?" she asked, looking up to him with her big bright green eyes.

It was happening again. He felt his heart skip a beat. Her hair looked so soft. He wanted to touch them.

She pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. The light, familiar cherry blossom sweet aroma of her pale skin reached him.

"... I don't know, I guess, you came very close to me, very fast ... You don't seem to have a fever," he said to try to change the subject.

"I thought that too," she said before he moved away.

"What?"

"I thought you were going to kiss me, just now."

"..."

"Why are we thinking about the same thing? What are you not telling me?"

"... I don't know."

"I think you do," she replied without losing a beat.

"... Sakura—"

"Do you know what I'm thinking about right now? Are you thinking about the same?"

"_I want to kiss you," _was his first thought. He couldn't move his eyes from hers. He didn't know what to answer. He felt cornered.

"I didn't know how to tell you_,"_ she said out of the blue. She waited for a reaction, but he only stared back at her. "I don't know the sense of it," she continued, "but this sentence just came to me with your picture in my head; 'I didn't know how to tell you'. Did you tell me this once, Sasuke?"

His heart beat hastened further. Like a magic spell, he was suddenly entranced. Everything around her was fuzzy. Her pure bright eyes were just staring into his, looking for an answer, for a clarification.

"_I want to kiss you,"_ he thought again.

"Yes, I did, a long time ago," he said, powerless.

"Why?"

"I was sick, you got angry, very angry. You asked me why I didn't tell you that I was sick." he replied, swallowing accumulated saliva

Sakura paused, nodding, as if she was starting to understand.

"What is it that you didn't know how to tell me, Sasuke?" she whispered with soft pink lips.

_I want to kiss you, so, so bad …_

He felt his legs weakened. His eyes were getting tired. But there was no way he would look away.

"Sasuke?"

He finally surrendered. And this time he wasn't sick. This time he had all his head. He didn't have any excuses for this behavior. And it felt … oh God. It felt as if he had been starving for a long, long time. It felt as if life was brought back to him. It felt like divine light exploded and swallowed the deepest of darkness.

She put her arms around his neck. Kissed him back. Kissed again. She could taste the colors of the rainbow. She could hear distant memories playing in her head, though she didn't quite know where they came from. She didn't know why she was crying, but she felt such peace overwhelm her.

_Thank you_, is what she thought. _Thank you for this breath of life._

Sasuke brushed her hair with his only hand. He gently pulled her head as close as she could possibly be, kissing her, tasting her. He needed her. She was his. She had to be. God, she absolutely had to be!

* * *

Tori had removed her socks, lifted her pants and was now playing with the fish in the shallow part of the river. Toshiko and Matthew were experimenting how far they could throw the pebbles.

Sofia and Hazel were sitting on the blanket, a basket filled with sandwiches, fruits and juice boxes. Hazel was sipping a green tea, watching Matt showing Toshiko how to throw the rocks.

"You must be missing your matcha tea," observed Sofia.

"Nah … I got used to it," she said smiling. "You must be missing your teal hair," she said with a wink.

Sofia snorted. "A little," she lifted the tip of her ponytail. Only the tip of the recently cut hair remained a faded teal color. The rest from the roots was now brown. Just brown. A dull brown. She rolled her eyes and let the ponytail fall back behind her shoulders.

"I don't know what you find wrong with your hair; they're nice and shiny."

"They're boring," she answered.

"I don't think they are!" shouted Kankuro from the path behind them.

Sofia smiled and blushed, which was not unnoticed by Hazel. She looked back and forth between them.

"Hey Kangaroo!" Sofia said, "Haven't seen you in a while!" She felt giddy whenever he appeared, which wasn't often, since he was mostly in Suna. "What wind brought you here?"

Hazel watched her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"You know? Because he's from the Land of Wind? So 'what wind brought you here'?" Sofia tried to explain to her friend. "Oh forget about it."

"You know, just visiting my sis."

Sofia nodded.

"How have you been?" he asked her. "I mean all of you, how have you _all_ been?" he added.

Hazel stood up and walked away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Sofia asked, pulling on her sleeve as she stood up.

"Nowhere honey, I just miss my man, gonna go throw rocks with them," she said smiling. "I'm good, thank you, you mind keeping her company for a few minutes?"

"Not at all! Although I do have a few errands to do but I'm sure I can spare a few minutes!"

"Awesome! It's nice to see you Kankuro!"

"Yeah, you too!"

He turned his gaze back to Sofia who was still smiling and sat beside her. They kept silent for a moment, looking for something to say. They had not seen each other a lot since _that time_, and everytime, they were never alone.

"So," he started, "how's your training?"

She took a small shuriken and threw it on an apple, splitting it open right in the center.

"It took me two weeks to be able to be that precise."

"Wow! You're a natural!"

"How long did it take you?"

"..."

"..."

"About two days, but still! It's impressive! I mean, I was practically born a ninja, you weren't! So yeah! That was very good!"

Sofia laughed out loud and took the shuriken and the apple back. She gave half of the apple to Kankuro and ate the other one.

"Seriously though," he said between two bites. "Your hair's nice like that."

"You really do prefer normal hair over colored hair?"

"Not particularly. I'm just saying you don't have to change anything to stand out."

She sighed. "I just like bright colors. Is that so wrong?"

He swallowed the apple and studied her.

"If it's so important to color your hair, why did you stop?"

She eyed him, puzzled. Didn't he criticize the way her hair looked? No … he actually did not, she realized. He noticed her hair, said she stood out, but he never actually said anything _against_ it.

"It's not like you can't find places where to dye your hair!" he continued, seeing that she was lost in her thoughts.

"I just thought …"

"What?"

"I was under the impression that you …" she stopped herself before admitting her sudden realization. Did she actually agree to drop the color thing because she thought HE was against it? "... that _people_ thought that girls with colored hair meant trouble."

He laughed. "Look around you! Half of the population has vibrant color hair! Half of the population are shinobis! You won't find anything more serious than a shinobi! Except maybe Naruto," he laughed at this last thought.

She eyed him, curious.

"You said I stood out with my teal hair."

"You did, it was pretty!"

He smiled when she blushed. She looked down, as if the red would go away if she looked away. He gently placed a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"You still stand out without the teal hair, is all I'm saying." He mirrored her smile, even if she would not look at him. "Any news from your friend yet?" he said to change the subject.

"Not yet," she answered.

"I'm sure she's fine," he shrugged.

She was not particularly worried; Abigail was in good hands, especially with the eyeliner guy and Naruto in the same team. She was more curious to see what she would bring back to Konoha.

She watched Hazel embrace Matthew from behind after he sent a pebble gliding a couple of times on the surface of the river. He put his arm around her while encouraging Toshiko as he threw his pebble who just landed in the water with a small _flop_.

"I'm wondering what she's gonna bring back from that trip."

"I'm wondering why she had to go all the way north for her pet!"

She laughed at the word "pet".

"It had to be a creature from the ice cold land! Hopefully it will not melt away when they get here!" he continued.

"If they succeed."

"Good point."

"You wanna go for a walk, Kangaroo?"

The sudden change of subject took him by surprise, but he stood up and offered a hand, which she took with a smile.

"Where to?"

"Eh, just follow the river, I guess,"

They did so, speaking about frivolous stuff, trying to mask the awkwardness between them. The river soon led them to the memorial where they took their time walking through. Sofia observed as Kankuro made a little salute towards the monument sheltering the long fallen shinobis; a salute she thought that must have been deeply rooted in his muscle memory.

"What was that you did just now?"

"Oh that? Just showing my respect. Something like a tradition, almost a superstition. You've got to honor the dead who fought for your country. Well, all countries"

For a second she thought he sounded just like an American. An American with a slight exotic accent.

"Do all shinobis do that?"

"Don't know. Probably not. We were taught from a young age, something that the Kazekage's family is expected to do. Although way back then, we'd only do that for our own people. Something I personally changed since the fourth great war."

"Right, the great war. I'm still not very familiar with that."

"All nations came together to defeat a common, powerful enemy. We would not be here today if all nations didn't join forces."

They kept walking in silence to the other side of the memorial ground, where they assumed the river would appear again. The small path within the forest was narrower, forcing them to draw closer to each other.

The trees finally gave way to the river, leaving the path even narrower. Sofia took the lead and decided to change course, crossing the river. She stepped over the two stones sticking out of the narrow river. Kankuro watched her perplexed.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

She made her way to a deep green bush, where she started picking up something.

"They look like berries; they smell good too!" she said, looking towards Kankuro who suddenly crossed the river, bouncing from a rock to the other side.

"HEY! DON'T EAT THAT!"

He reached her before she could put one in her mouth and studied him, puzzled.

"But, they smell like strawberries!"

"Do they look like strawberries to you?"

"Well…"

"Do they?!"

"No but,"

"Then don't be stupid and eat something that smells like something it's not! Baka!"

"Hey now! Don't be rude." she said, putting her hands on her waist.

He looked at the berries closely and shuddered.

"You almost got yourself a trip to the hospital. You're welcome! Unbelievable," he mumbled to himself. "What would you do without me!"

"Excuse me! I managed to survive for a whole month and a half without your presence!"

He spinned around with a puzzled face.

"How did you?!"

She grimaced and crossed back on the river rocks. Kankuro followed closely ang grabbed her hand when she slipped on the last rock, steadying her. She dared not look back to him to thank him, fearing he would have another snarky comment to say about her survival skills. Instead, she gave a grunt of frustration in her inability to save face and stepped back to the other side.

When she did look back, giving in to the curiosity, she only saw him grin. She pulled her tongue at him and faced back forward.

Kankuro rolled his eyes and took her hand, pulling toward the stone path going up, opposite the memorial ground. The trees created a wall that separated the cemetery from the Yamanaka clan region.

"If you're hungry, I know that little road stand that sells some dangos. They're more like mochis but satisfying if you're into sweet stuff."

"How do you know? You don't even live here!"

"I've been around a few times."

He bought two skewers and led them back to the path they were taken back.

Sofia took a mouthful and was reminded slightly of the fruit snack they had with Temari way back when. She stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just realized … it feels like I've been here for such a long time. I'm used to Konoha now. It's just …"

He tilted his head, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"It's hard to believe I'll be leaving eventually, to go back home. My home."

"Don't you want to?"

She paused for a moment, frowning. "Of course! I miss my family …"

"Is that it?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she kept walking. Was that all she missed? Yet, her heart was beating hard. The thought of going back, made her heart ache.

"Look I'm sorry," he said out of the blue while they were walking. He threw the napkin in a waste basket a few meters away. "I've been a little harsh. I just can't help it. To me it's stupid that people fall for traps like that, when it could so easily be avoided! Look, rule of thumb: very simple. Don't touch berries you don't know! Especially when they smell something there not!"

She looked at him and smiled at his comical mime.

"Strawberry smells like a strawberry? Good. Weird wild berry smelling like strawberry? BAD! Very bad! Hospital bad!"

"OK, OK," she said laughing. "I'll stay clear of wild berries altogether."

"Wisest decision I've heard you say! That should keep you alive for an extra 2 months."

He removed his hat and uncovered a full set of wet hair.

"Damn it's hot!"

It wasn't that hot. Suna was way hotter. She knew he was probably just trying to find something to say before it became awkward again.

"I don't think I ever saw you without your hat before …"

He looked at her and she blushed by her own comment. Yes she had! In fact, last time she saw him without the hat, he was also without makeup and without a shirt and without …

She looked down, realizing for the first time what she would be missing the most.

"I miss my family," she started, "but if I leave, I'll be missing much more."

He nodded and started walking again.

"Are we gonna talk about it?" she suddenly asked.

Kankuro sighed.

"Look, we can pretend all we want, it's not going away," she added.

"I was hoping it would."

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm the last person you want to be with,"

"No you're not. Don't decide for me who I want to be with and not."

"You need someone steady for a change."

"Well! Look who's deciding what's best for me!"

He turned around to face her.

"I told you not to fall for me."

"Again, don't tell me who I want to be with and not. Beside it's not like I had a choice! I can't deny my feelings for you!" She remembered what Abigail said to Akio some time ago. "It's not a switch! I can't turn those feelings off like a robot!"

"You can be smart about it before it happens, though!"

He paused, seeing that she was puzzled, before continuing.

"You know you have to leave eventually! What good will that do to us then?"

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

Now it was Kankuro who was gobsmacked. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find any words. He turned his face away with another sigh.

"Kankuro," she said while walking to him. She laced her fingers with his, relieved that he did not attempt to remove it. "I'd rather spend a few real moments with someone real then denying me these moments, in the hope that I'll find it later in my life. Don't you?"

Kankuro looked in her eyes with a hint of surprise. It was the first time that she referred to him as someone _real_.

"Well, when you put it like that," he said with a gentle smile. He brought her hand to his lips and frowned when she smiled back. "Wait … what's your name again?"

She jerked her hand free and punched his shoulder, her mouth wide open in consternation. He backed away three steps and grinned, massaging his shoulder.

"You don't deserve this hand," she said, displaying her hand with her fingers spread out.

"What?" he chuckled, "I've got many girls at the moment, the least I can do is call you by the right name!"

She gave him the finger without even turning around. She shook her head and couldn't contain a chuckle, knowing he was just teasing her.

"You're such a jerk, Kankuro!" she said with a grin, rolling her eyes. He caught up to her and pulled her back by the hand.

He planted a soft kiss on her lips, which made her flush and weak in the knees, moved with emotion flowing between them.

She tenderly brushed her forehead against his cheek when he broke away.

"I just love when you call me by my name," he whispered.

The sound of twigs cracking a few meters from them suddenly caught their attention. They both turned toward the sound at the same time, but didn't see anyone there.

"What the …"

Kankuro broke away from Sofia to investigate the area. Sofia stood on her guard, looking around. It could have been anyone, but the fact that the sound didn't come with a person made her uneasy.

"It was probably an animal," Kankuro said, rather unconvinced. The cracking was pretty loud. If it was an animal, it would have been a big one, and yet, there was no creature in sight beside squirrels.

He joined Sofia's side with a reassuring smile. "Probably just a squirrel."

"Some squirrel," she said.

They walked back towards the picnic place, where they left Hazel, Matthew and the children. Sofia couldn't smile. The glee she felt while being with Kankuro was robbed by the incessant feeling that they were being watched. She kept close to Kankuro who smiled as if nothing was amiss. But his composure was stiff and on high alert.

* * *

The Tick Tock of the simple wooden clock on the wall was interrupted by the 3rd hour gong echoing in the room.

Akio turned the page of the old grimoire he had been reading for a few weeks now. It was not something easy to read. It was definitely made for the Grand Gatekeepers. Perhaps a council? The yellowed pages were crumbling under his fingers and he found it hard to keep them whole. He turned the pages one by one with his fingertips, ever so gently; discovering some illegible pages where the ink was smudged over the years.

Some of the letters seemed to have been an old writing, lost to common knowledge. The drawings were some clues of the message the pages had to deliver. Many uncommon creatures were featured, but none of them were indicating an official "companion" for the Grand Gatekeeper. Unless … all of them were suggested as _possible_ companions? Some looked like known animals; canines, reptiles, rodents; some others were more like something coming from outer space. One of them was like some sort of "jelly blob". He would have thought it would have been just some unusual "goo" if it was not part of all the creatures advertised in this grimoire.

He'd been shuddering at the thought that those varied creatures were roaming the earth, unnoticed. Perhaps those Grand Gatekeepers were tasked to keep them at bay?

At this time, he was studying some sort of staff. A humanoid shape was holding it in a casual way, one end resting on the floor, the other about a feet above the head, slightly tilted. The shape was smudged, giving it the illusion of being a creature made of smoke, but the next page had it with more detail.

The Staff had some druid vibes to it; It's wooden end had four branches sprouting on one side. The top was curved inward, in an incomplete circle. Within the circle, a rock or gem seemed to be floating.

This was not the only one. Several other pages had some different types of staff. One had a spiral at the upper end. One had the tip shaped like a hollow diamond. All of them had some sort of stone within them.

He took a break and laid back in his chair. He couldn't recall seeing any of these staff, or any animal sidekicks for that matter. In fact, he was pretty much in the dark when it came to anything that was considered higher than his own position as a gatekeeper.

"And I thought I was cool!" he thought, grinning.

He had realized for some time now that, contrary to what he first believed, he had only a small position in this whole _keeper _business. And the more he looked into that book, the more he was humbled.

A knock at the door brought him out of his wonders.

"Come in."

Kakashi opened the door and let himself in.

"I hope I'm not …"

"Oh no. I need a break from … all of this," he answered, waving his hand toward the grimoire.

Kakashi grinned behind his mask and sat on the other side of the small table.

"So do I! I thought I'd come to check on ya!"

"The honor! I could've come to you if you would've summoned me!"

"Nah … I needed a little walk. In fact, I'm planning on going for some ramen after. I'm afraid Naruto is rubbing off on me."

Akio laughed.

"So, are you making any progress in your research?

"Mmm, not really. I see many things, but I can't figure out where and how to get those."

"Well, time will tell. On the bright side, I've received a note from Sai! They have found Sakura! Or rather, Sakura found them."

Akio straightened himself on his chair, curious.

"Was she … did she …"

"Oh not much was said. Only that she was in a bad shape and Sasuke was staying behind with her while the others went on. Sai mentioned that they had "fixed" her. Whatever that meant … I just hope she's OK."

"I'm sure she is," Akio said. "Wait … she followed them all the way there? That means that she must have been here all this time before they departed."

Kakashi's hidden face became serious.

"Yeah. It probably means that whoever was controlling her was also here. I'm wondering if he has been following them as well, or if he's still here somewhere.


End file.
